Timing of Seed Production and Dispersal Geranium Carolinianum: Effects on Fitness
1986
Roach, Deborah Ann
The importance of the timing of seed production and of seed dispersal to the fitness of an annual plant was examined using Geranium carolinianum in the piedmont of North Carolina. Mature seeds were collected from naturally growing plants on four dates in May and June and were then sown back into the population on five dates in late May, June, and July. The mean mass of seed produced varied during the growing season and this had important consequences for fitness. Seeds produced early were heavier, but lighter seeds germinated earlier. Seedlings that emerged earlier developed into larger plants with relatively higher reproductive output. Timing of seed dispersal had no effect on date of emergence, plant size, or fecundity.
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