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

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Title Sex ratios, damage and distribution of Myrianthus holstii Engl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree
 
Creator Kissa, D.O.
Ssali, F.
Sheil, D.
 
Subject tropical forests
sex ratio
 
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.
 
Date 2023
2023-07-12T06:12:32Z
2023-07-12T06:12:32Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier 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
0266-4674
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131097
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467422000499
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-4.0
Open Access
 
Format e11
 
Publisher Cambridge University Press (CUP)
 
Source Journal of Tropical Ecology