Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
How to be an Attractive
Male: Floral Dimorphism and
a Dioecious Plant
Marc O. Waelti, Paul A. Page, Alex Widmer and
Florian P. Schiestl
abstRact
Background
Sexual selection theory predicts that males are limited in their reproductive
success by access to mates, whereas females are more limited by resources. In
animal-pollinated plants, attraction of pollinators and successful pollination
is crucial for reproductive success. In dioecious plant species, males should
thus be selected to increase their attractiveness to pollinators by investing more
than females in floral traits that enhance pollinator visitation. We tested the
prediction of higher attractiveness of male flowers in the dioecious, moth-pol-
