SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT FROM ONE-SEEDED AND 2-SEEDED FRUITS OF CRYPTANTHA-FLAVA - A TEST OF PARENT-OFFSPRING CONFLICT

In C. flava, a seed (nutlet) initially benefits by being the only one in the fruit. Emergence was greater from seeds of 1-seeded fruits than from the smaller seeds of 2-seeded fruits, but 2-seeded fruits were more likely to yield at least 1 seedling. On the basis of these data, the parent and offspring have different optimal brood sizes, but the number of offspring resulting from the multiplicative effects of emergence and survival did not differ for the two fruit types. At one of 2 sites, higher mortality occurred among individuals growing in pairs than among single individuals. Whether a trade-off exists between brood size and number of fruits per plant must be determined before the potential for parent-offspring conflict can be fully evaluated. -from Author