Project Title
Does Flowering Time Influence Sex Allocation in Stylidium armeria?
Abstract
Most animals have a 50:50 ratio of males and females, and the evolutionary reasons for this are well understood by biologists. The theory explaining the sex ratio should apply to the sexual functions of plants, but they more-or-less universally violate our expectations and invest more in their female function (seed and fruit maturation) than in their male function (pollen production).
In this study I will be using the Australian native species /Stylidium armeria/. /Stylidium armeria/ is a dichogamous (temporally seperated male and female phases) species with sequential flowering. It also exists at different altitudes, which has the potential to change the flowering time. The principle aim of this project is to find out why plants have a different sex allocation from animals and whether flowering time plays a role in this.
Supervisors
- Martin Burd (Monash)
- Linley Jesson (University of New Brunswick, Canada)
See also
Martin Burd page
Linley Jesson page
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Publications
- Brookes, R.H & Jesson L.K (2007) No evidence for simultaneous pollen and resource limitation in Aciphylla squarrosa: a long-lived, masting herb. "Austral Ecology" 32(4):370-377
- Rowan H. Brookes, Linley K. Jesson, Martin Burd (2008)
A test of simultaneous resource and pollen limitation in Stylidium armeria
doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02453.x
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