Factors influencing the fruit crops and seed fates of Pistacia chinensis: the results of structural equation modeling

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1003.2014.08139

Abstract

Abstract:

Seed production and quality are important factors influencing population regeneration in many seed plants. We used structural equation modeling to investigate how plant and fruit traits interact with each other to influence the fruit crops and seed fates of Pistacia chinensis. From May to September 2009, we sampled 45 fruiting female trees and measured plant traits (height, DBH and crown area), fruit traits (infructescence size, fruit size) and the fruit crop of each sampled tree in Jiyuan City of Henan Province, Central China. The fruit crops of P. chinensis were positively correlated with tree height, crown area and infructescence size but not significantly correlated with DBH or fruit size. The fruit crop of an individual tree had no negative direct effect on the infestation of seeds by wasps (Eurytoma plotnikovi). Such a direct effect would be predicted by the predator satiation hypothesis. Tree height and fruit size had a positive direct effect on the seed predation rate, but a significant negative correlation was found between the seed predation rate and the rate of seedlessness. Our results indicate that seedless fruits may serve as a defensive mechanism against insect seed predators. In addition, both seedless and insect-infested fruits had a negative direct effect on seed survival, and DBH, infructescence size and fruit crop had a positive indirect effect on seed survival. However, tree height and fruit size had negative indirect effects on seed survival. In conclusion, we have shown that both plant and fruit traits can strongly influence fruit crops and insect seed predation and subsequently determine the seed quality and population regeneration of P. chinensis.

Key words: Pistacia chinensis, plant traits, fruit traits, fruit abortion, pre-dispersal seed predation, structural equation modeling

Hongling Guo,Zhiwen Li,Zhishu Xiao. Factors influencing the fruit crops and seed fates of Pistacia chinensis: the results of structural equation modeling[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2014, 22(2): 174-181.

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1003.2014.08139

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2014/V22/I2/174

Figures/Tables 3

References 39

[1]	Aizen MA (1997) Influence of local floral density and sex ratio on pollen receipt and seed output: empirical and experimental results in dichogamous Alstroemeria aurea (Alstroemeriaceae). Oecologia, 111, 404–412.
[2]	Bertin RI, Kerwin MA (1998) Floral sex ratios and gynomonoecy in Aster (Asteraceae). American Journal of Botany, 85, 235–244.
[3]	Campbell DR (1996) Evolution of floral traits in a hermaphroditic plant: field measurements of heritabilities and genetic correlations. Evolution, 50, 1442–1453.
[4]	Cariveau D, Irwin RE, Brody AK, Garcia-Mayeya LS, Von Der Ohe A (2004) Direct and indirect effects of pollinators and seed predators to selection on plant and floral traits. Oikos, 104, 15–26.
[5]	Carlsson-Granér U, Elmqvist T, Ågren J, Gardfjell H, Ingvarsson P (1998) Floral sex ratios, disease and seed set in dioecious Silene dioica. Journal of Ecology, 86, 79–91.
[6]	Chai LY (柴立英), Lü WY (吕文彦), Du KS (杜开书), Xie JL (谢金良) (2006) Bionomics and occurrence of Eurytoma plotnikovi. Chinese Bulletin of Entomology(昆虫知识), 43, 567–570. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[7]	Crane JC (1973) Parthenocarpy—a factor contributing to the production of blank Pistachio. Hortscience, 5, 388–390.
[8]	Grace, JB (2006) Structural Equation Modelling and Natural Systems. Cambridge University Press, New York.
[9]	Grundwag M (1975) Seed set in some Pistacia L. (Anacardiaceae) species after inter- and intra-specific pollination. Israel Journal of Botany, 24, 205–211.
[10]	Herrera CM (1998) Long-term dynamics of Mediterranean frugivorous birds and fleshy fruits: a 12-year study. Ecological Monographs, 68, 511–538.
[11]	Irwin RE (2006) The consequences of direct versus indirect species interactions to selection on traits: pollination and nectar robbing in Ipomopsis aggregata. The American Naturalist, 167, 315–328.
[12]	Jacquemyn H, Brys R (2010) Temporal and spatial variation in flower and fruit production in a food deceptive orchid: a five-year study. Plant Biology, 12, 145–153.
[13]	Janzen DH (1971) Seed predation by animals. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 2, 465–492.
[14]	Jones FA, Comita LS (2010) Density-dependent predispersal seed predation and fruit set in a tropical tree. Oikos, 119, 1841–1847.
[15]	Kelly D (1994) The evolutionary ecology of mast seeding. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 465–470.
[16]	Kelly D, Sork VL (2002) Mast seeding in perennial plants: why, how, where?Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 33, 427–447.
[17]	Kolb A, Ehrlen J, Eriksson O (2007) Ecological and evolutionary consequences of spatial and temporal variation in pre-dispersal seed predation. Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 9, 79–100.
[18]	Liu QX, Wen LZ, Zhou HJ, Wu Q, Harris MK, Xiao ZS (2011) Effects of seed wasps and seedless fruits on fruit and oil yields of Pistacia chinensis as a biofuel tree. Acta Entomologica Sinica(昆虫学报), 54, 1133–1139.
[19]	Mezquida ET, Olano JM (2013) What makes a good neighborhood? Interaction of spatial scale and fruit density in the predator satiation dynamics of a masting juniper tree. Oecologia, 173, 483–492.
[20]	Mitchell RJ (1992) Testing evolutionary and ecological hypotheses using path-analysis and structural equation modelling. Functional Ecology, 6, 123–129.
[21]	Östergård H, Hambäck PA, Ehrlén J (2007) Pre-dispersal seed predation: the role of fruit abortion and selective oviposition. Ecology, 88, 2959–2965.
[22]	Primack RB (1987) Relationships among flowers, fruits, and seeds. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 18, 409–430.
[23]	Qin F (秦飞), Guo TB (郭同斌), Liu ZG (刘忠刚), Song MH (宋明辉) (2007) Literature review of researches on Pistacia chinensis Bunge. Nonwood Forest Research(经济林研究), 25, 90–96. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[24]	Ramos-Ordoñez MF, Márquez-Guzmán J, Coro Arizmendi M (2010) Parthenocarpy and seed production in Burseraceae. In: Desert Plants: Biology and Biotechnology (ed. Ramawat KG), pp. 231–239. Springer, Berlin-Heidelberg.
[25]	Reader RJ (1993) Control of seedling emergence by ground cover and seed predation in relation to seed size for some old-field species. Journal of Ecology, 81, 169–175.
[26]	Sallabanks R, Courtney SP (1992) Frugivory, seed predation, and insect-vertebrate interactions. Annual Review of Entomology, 37, 377–400.
[27]	Scheiner SM, Mitchell RJ, Callahan HS (2000) Using path analysis to measure natural selection. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 13, 423–433.
[28]	Strawbridge M, Bell RW, McComb JA, Barrett-Lennard EG (1997) Influence of sex ratio and sexual lability on seed production in the dioecious perennial shrub Atriplex amnicola (Chenopodiaceae). Animal Production Science, 37, 661–666.
[29]	Sutherland S (1986) Floral sex ratios, fruit-set, and resource allocation in plants. Ecology, 67, 991–1001.
[30]	Traveset A (1993) Deceptive fruits reduce seed predation by insects in Pistacia terebinthus L. (Anacardiaceae). Evolutionary Ecology, 7, 357–361.
[31]	Verdú M, García-Fayos P (1998) Ecological causes, function and evolution of abortion and parthenocarpy in Pistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae). Canadian Journal of Botany, 76, 134–141.
[32]	Vergeer P, Kunin WE (2011) Life history variation in Arabidopsis lyrata across its range: effects of climate, population size and herbivory. Oikos, 120, 979–990.
[33]	Wang F, Xiong XR, Liu CZ (2009) Biofuels in China: opportunities and challenges. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology: Plant, 45, 342–349.
[34]	Wang X (王学), Xiao ZS (肖治术), Zhang ZB (张知彬), Pan HC (潘红春) (2008) Insect seed predation and its relationships with seed crop and seed size of Quercus mongolica. Acta Entomologica Sinica(昆虫学报), 51, 161–165. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[35]	Weber A, Kolb A (2012) Local plant density, pollination and trait-fitness relationships in a perennial herb. Plant Biology, 15, 334–343.
[36]	Wright MG (1994) Unpredictable seed-set: a defence mechanism against seed-eating insects Protea species (Proteaceae). Oecologia, 99, 397–400.
[37]	Wu ML (吴明隆) (2009) Structural Equation Modelling: Operation and Application of AMOS (结构方程模型: AMOS的操作与应用). Chongqing University Press, Chongqing (in Chinese)
[38]	Wu ZZ (吴志庄), Li YQ (厉月桥), Wang ZJ (汪泽军), Liu QZ (刘巧哲), Zhang ZX (张志翔)(2012) Analysis on influence factors of individual yield in Pistacia chinensis Bunge. Nonwood Forest Research(经济林研究), 30, 23–27. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[39]	Zhao YZ (赵亚洲), Xin YF (辛雅芬), Ma QY (马钦彦), Zhang CY (张春雨) (2010) Population sex ratio and spatial distribution of dioecious tree species Pistacia chinensis. Chinese Journal of Ecology(生态学杂志), 29, 1087–1093. (in Chinese with English abstract)

变量 Variables	均值±标准误 Mean ± SE	变量范围 Range
树高 Tree height (m)	7.67 ± 0.29	3.82–12.40
胸径 DBH (cm)	14.05 ± 1.06	5.60–37.70
树冠面积 Crown area (cm²)	92.83 ± 10.41	16.79–333.83
果序大小 Infructescence size	112.01 ± 4.67	55.05–214.77
果实大小 Fruit size (cm³)	0.122 ± 0.004	0.07–0.19
果实产量 Log (crop)	4.49 ± 0.11	2.25–5.59
空壳率 Seedless rate (%)	54.73 ± 3.89	11–99
虫蛀率 Insect-infested rate (%)	22.36 ± 3.29	0–85
完好率 Sound rate (%)	22.91 ± 3.13	0–73.50

变量 Variables	均值±标准误 Mean ± SE	变量范围 Range
树高 Tree height (m)	7.67 ± 0.29	3.82–12.40
胸径 DBH (cm)	14.05 ± 1.06	5.60–37.70
树冠面积 Crown area (cm²)	92.83 ± 10.41	16.79–333.83
果序大小 Infructescence size	112.01 ± 4.67	55.05–214.77
果实大小 Fruit size (cm³)	0.122 ± 0.004	0.07–0.19
果实产量 Log (crop)	4.49 ± 0.11	2.25–5.59
空壳率 Seedless rate (%)	54.73 ± 3.89	11–99
虫蛀率 Insect-infested rate (%)	22.36 ± 3.29	0–85
完好率 Sound rate (%)	22.91 ± 3.13	0–73.50

变量 Variables	果实产量 Log(crop)				空壳率 Seedless rate (%)
变量 Variables	直接影响 Direct effect	间接影响 Indirect effect	总影响 Total effect		直接影响 Direct effect		间接影响 Indirect effect		总影响 Total effect		直接影响 Direct effect		间接影响 Indirect effect		总影响 Total effect		直接影响 Direct effect		间接影响 Indirect effect		总影响 Total effect
树高 Tree height	–	–	–	–		–		–		0.394*		–		0.394		–		–0.377		–0.377
胸径 DBH	0.244	–	0.244	–0.278*		–		–0.278		–0.388*		0.123		–0.265		–		0.497		0.497
树冠面积 Crown area	–	–	–	–		–		–		–		–		–		–		–		–
果序大小 Infructescence size	0.465^**	–	0.465	–0.469^**		–		–0.469		–		0.197		0.197		–		0.222		0.222
果实大小 Fruit size	0.181	–	0.181	–		–		–		0.437^**		–0.034		0.403		–0.111		–0.386		–0.497
果实产量 Log(crop)	–	–	–	–		–		–		–0.184		–		–0.184		–		0.177		0.177
空壳率 Seedless rate (%)	–	–	–	–		–		–		–0.603^**		–		–0.603		–0.874^**		0.577		–0.297
虫蛀率 Insect-infested rate (%)	–	–	–	–		–		–		–		–		–		–0.957^**		–		–0.957
决定系数 Coefficient of determination (R²)	0.309			0.297						0.577						0.822

变量 Variables	果实产量 Log(crop)				空壳率 Seedless rate (%)
变量 Variables	直接影响 Direct effect	间接影响 Indirect effect	总影响 Total effect		直接影响 Direct effect		间接影响 Indirect effect		总影响 Total effect		直接影响 Direct effect		间接影响 Indirect effect		总影响 Total effect		直接影响 Direct effect		间接影响 Indirect effect		总影响 Total effect
树高 Tree height	–	–	–	–		–		–		0.394*		–		0.394		–		–0.377		–0.377
胸径 DBH	0.244	–	0.244	–0.278*		–		–0.278		–0.388*		0.123		–0.265		–		0.497		0.497
树冠面积 Crown area	–	–	–	–		–		–		–		–		–		–		–		–
果序大小 Infructescence size	0.465^**	–	0.465	–0.469^**		–		–0.469		–		0.197		0.197		–		0.222		0.222
果实大小 Fruit size	0.181	–	0.181	–		–		–		0.437^**		–0.034		0.403		–0.111		–0.386		–0.497
果实产量 Log(crop)	–	–	–	–		–		–		–0.184		–		–0.184		–		0.177		0.177
空壳率 Seedless rate (%)	–	–	–	–		–		–		–0.603^**		–		–0.603		–0.874^**		0.577		–0.297
虫蛀率 Insect-infested rate (%)	–	–	–	–		–		–		–		–		–		–0.957^**		–		–0.957
决定系数 Coefficient of determination (R²)	0.309			0.297						0.577						0.822