Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree

Male and female dioecious tropical trees are subjected to distinct demands that may influence their ecology. An example is Myrianthus holstii Engl. that produces persistent fruit eaten by elephants and other large mammals that frequently damage the trees. Myrianthus holstii populations were assessed...

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Autores principales: Kissa, D.O., Ssali, F., Sheil, D.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Cambridge University Press 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131097
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author Kissa, D.O.
Ssali, F.
Sheil, D.
author_browse Kissa, D.O.
Sheil, D.
Ssali, F.
author_facet Kissa, D.O.
Ssali, F.
Sheil, D.
author_sort Kissa, D.O.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Male and female dioecious tropical trees are subjected to distinct demands that may influence their ecology. An example is Myrianthus holstii Engl. that produces persistent fruit eaten by elephants and other large mammals that frequently damage the trees. Myrianthus holstii populations were assessed with 24 2-km transects, spanning an elevation range of 1435–2495 m in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Of 1089 stems ≥ 5 cm diameter 449 were female, 383 were male and the rest were non-fertile. We also noted one apparently monoecious individual. Males produced flowers at smaller sizes than did females (minimum recorded diameters 5.5 cm and 6.8 cm, respectively). Both sexes had similar distributions, favouring moderately closed forest and mid-slope locations. Female trees were more frequently damaged and typically slightly shorter than males at large diameters. Seedling densities were positively associated with the presence of larger female trees. Our results are consistent with a life history where both sexes have similar requirements, but fruiting females experience a greater frequency of severe damage.
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spelling CGSpace1310972025-10-26T12:52:17Z Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree Kissa, D.O. Ssali, F. Sheil, D. tropical forests sex ratio Male and female dioecious tropical trees are subjected to distinct demands that may influence their ecology. An example is Myrianthus holstii Engl. that produces persistent fruit eaten by elephants and other large mammals that frequently damage the trees. Myrianthus holstii populations were assessed with 24 2-km transects, spanning an elevation range of 1435–2495 m in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Of 1089 stems ≥ 5 cm diameter 449 were female, 383 were male and the rest were non-fertile. We also noted one apparently monoecious individual. Males produced flowers at smaller sizes than did females (minimum recorded diameters 5.5 cm and 6.8 cm, respectively). Both sexes had similar distributions, favouring moderately closed forest and mid-slope locations. Female trees were more frequently damaged and typically slightly shorter than males at large diameters. Seedling densities were positively associated with the presence of larger female trees. Our results are consistent with a life history where both sexes have similar requirements, but fruiting females experience a greater frequency of severe damage. 2023 2023-07-12T06:12:32Z 2023-07-12T06:12:32Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131097 en Open Access Cambridge University Press Kissa, D.O., Ssali, F. and Sheil, D. (2023) Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 39, e11. doi: 10.1017/S0266467422000499
spellingShingle tropical forests
sex ratio
Kissa, D.O.
Ssali, F.
Sheil, D.
Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree
title Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree
title_full Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree
title_fullStr Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree
title_full_unstemmed Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree
title_short Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree
title_sort sex ratios damage and distribution of myrianthus holstii engl a dioecious afromontane forest tree
topic tropical forests
sex ratio
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131097
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