Nature beyond linearity : meteorological variability and Jensen's inequality can explain mast seeding behaviour
Fernández-Martínez, Marcos (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Bogdziewicz, Michał (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Espelta Morral, Josep Maria (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Date:	2017
Abstract:	Mast seeding, the extremely variable and synchronized production of fruits, is a common reproductive behavior in plants. Weather is centrally involved in driving masting. Yet, it is often claimed that it cannot be the sole proximate cause of masting because weather is less variable than fruit production and because the shape of their distributions differ. We used computer simulations to demonstrate that the assumption that weather cannot be the main driver of masting was only valid for linear relationships between weather and fruit production. Non-linear relationships between interannual variability in weather and crop size, however, can account for the differences in their variability and the shape of their distributions because of Jensen's inequality. Exponential relationships with weather can increase the variability of fruit production, and sigmoidal relationships can produce bimodal distributions. These results challenge the idea that meteorological variability cannot be the main proximate driver of mast seeding, returning meteorological variability to the forefront of masting research.
Grants:	European Commission 610028 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2016-79835-P Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2015-70558-P Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2012-33398 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-274 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-913
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Frontiers in ecology and evolution, Vol. 5 (Nov. 2017) , art. 134, ISSN 2296-701X

DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00134

8 p, 1.3 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) > Imbalance-P
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