SELECTIVE FRUIT ABORTION IN PRUNUS MAHALEB (ROSACEAE)

In Prunus mahaleb (Rosaceae), only a small proportion of those flowers that initially develop give rise to fruits, and the probability of pr oducing fruit differs between flowers. The results of this study indic ate that the probability of producing fruit is about 60% for the first (i.e., most proximal) flower to develop in each inflorescence, but ve ry low for the last (i.e., most distal). This pattern is maintained re gardless of between-inflorescence differences in flowering phenology, suggesting that each inflorescence can be viewed as an independent sub unit with respect to allocation of resources for reproduction. These r esults are compatible with the ovary reserve and selective abortion hy potheses for the adaptive value of low fruit set in P. mahaleb.