Effects of converting natural forests to coniferous plantations on fruit and seed production and mating patterns in wild cherry trees

Teruyoshi Nagamitsu,Takashi Masaki,Hisatomo Taki,Satoshi Kikuchi,Kato Shuri

doi:10.1007/s11284-015-1331-x

Teruyoshi Nagamitsu, Takashi Masaki + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-015-1331-x

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Abstract

Landscape disturbances can affect reproductive performance of animal-pollinated trees. We verified the effects of the loss and fragmentation of natural forests caused by the creation of coniferous plantations on fruit and seed production as well as mating patterns of animal-pollinated trees. We investigated 146 and 134 individual flowering trees of Prunus verecunda (Koidz.) Koehne in 2012 and 2013, respectively, at 12 sites. These sites were at least 1.2 km apart from each other in an 8 × 15-km forestry region, and the composition and configuration of natural forests varied in the study area. The mean outcrossing rate was >0.99 across the sites. Among trees within the sites, the number of fruits per inflorescence was positively correlated with the basal stem area and leaf chlorophyll density of the trees. Among the sites, the mean number of fruits per inflorescence was positively correlated with the site elevation, and the correlated paternity was positively correlated with the mean distance between trees. The sound-seed rate was positively correlated with the natural-forest area among the sites. These results suggest that environments and resources of trees influence their fruit production, that a loss of natural forests increases in embryo mortality, and that a reduction in tree density decreases pollen donor diversity in P. verecunda. Thus, a landscape disturbance may decrease seed production, whereas outbreeding is maintained, and fruit production is not likely to be dependent on the landscape disturbance in this species.

Highlights

Landscape disturbances, including loss and fragmentation of natural habitats, is likely to affect animal-mediated pollination, which may lead to changes in fruit and seed production of flowering plants (Aizen and Feinsinger 1994; Ghazoul 2005; Hadley and Betts 2012)
Shuri Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Tama Forest Science Garden, 1833-81 Todori, Hachioji, Tokyo 193-0843, Japan E-mail: shuri@affrc.go.jp area among the sites. These results suggest that environments and resources of trees influence their fruit production, that a loss of natural forests increases in embryo mortality, and that a reduction in tree density decreases pollen donor diversity in P. verecunda
In contrast to our expectations from previous studies (Aguilar et al 2006), pollen limitation and landscape disturbances may not affect fruit production in P. verecunda in natural forests that have been fragmented by coniferous plantations

Summary

Introduction

Landscape disturbances, including loss and fragmentation of natural habitats, is likely to affect animal-mediated pollination, which may lead to changes in fruit and seed production of flowering plants (Aizen and Feinsinger 1994; Ghazoul 2005; Hadley and Betts 2012). A meta-analysis of studies on animal-pollinated plants demonstrated negative effects of landscape disturbances on fruit and seed production (Aguilar et al 2006). Landscape disturbances negatively affect pollination success, as measured by the frequency of pollinator visits to a flower, the amount of pollen loads on a stigma, and the number of pollen tubes in a style, suggesting that pollen limitation underlies the reduced production of fruits and seeds (Aguilar et al 2006). Loss and fragmentation of habitats tend to reduce fruit and seed production while shifting mating patterns toward inbreeding

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