REPRODUCTIVE ALLOCATION IN HERMAPHRODITE AND FEMALE PLANTS OF SIDALCEA OREGANA SSP SPICATA (MALVACEAE) USING 4 CURRENCIES

Reproductive allocation was investigated in female and hermaphrodite p lants of gynodioecious Sidalcea oregana ssp. spicata. Total reproducti ve investment and partitioning of that investment was documented at th e level of whole plants in terms of four ecologically relevant currenc ies: biomass, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nutrient augmentati ons in the field confirmed that nutrients were limiting plant vegetati ve growth and propensity to flower; thus the use of these nutrients as currency was appropriate. Once the effects of plant size were removed , the sex morphs allocated similar total amounts of biomass, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to reproduction, but partitioned those diff erentially. For any given individual size, females allocated larger pr oportions of their reproductive resource budgets to seeds. Hermaphrodi tes' reproductive investment in pollen and flowers was allocated at th e expense of allocation to seeds. These data are relevant to the evolu tion of gynodioecy from hermaphroditism and support the hypothesis tha t females reallocate resources not spent on pollen to seeds.