This book maintains that higher plants manifest some degree of sexual selection, and it begins to build a framework that unifies many features of plant reproduction previously considered unrelated. Reviewing evidence for sexual selection in plants, the authors discuss possible male-female interactions, concluding with an extensive set of hypotheses for testing.
Mechanisms that could be employed in sexual selection in plants include various cellular mechanisms, such as both nuclear and cytoplasmic genetics, B chromosomes, and paternal contributions to the zygote, as well as abortion, double fertilization, delayed fertilization, and certain forms of polyembryony. This study compares the consequences of these processes for the evolution of mate choice in "gymnosperms" and angiosperms.
Author(s): Nancy Burley, Mary F. Willson
Series: Monographs in Population Biology, 19
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Year: 1983
Language: English
Pages: 264
City: Princeton
Cover Page
Half-title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Preface
1. Introduction and Theoretical Background
1.1 Sexual Selection
1.2 Kin Selection, Parent-Offspring Conflict, and Parental Manipulation
2. Limitations on Reproductive Success
2.1 Females
2.2 Males
3. Male-Male Competition and Female Choice: Bases and Mechanisms
3.1 General Aspects of Female Choice
3.2 Cellular Mechanisms of Zygote Control
3.3 Sporogenesis and Double Fertilization
3.4 Delay of Fertilization
3.5 Polyembryony
3.6 Summary of Chapters Two and Three
4. Consequences of Prezygotic and Postzygotic Choice
4.1 Gymnosperms
4.2 Angiosperms
5. Avenues for Exploration
Appendix
Literature Cited
Index
Genus/Species Index
