Gynodioecy, sexual dimorphism and erratic fruiting in Corynocarpus laevigatus (Corynocarpaceae)
P. J. Garnock-Jones A C , R. E. Brockie A and R. G. FitzJohn A BA Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
B Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, Canterbury, New Zealand.
C Corresponding author. Email: phil.garnock-jones@vuw.ac.nz
Australian Journal of Botany 55(8) 803-808 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT07054
Submitted: 27 March 2007 Accepted: 27 August 2007 Published: 14 December 2007
Abstract
The New Zealand karaka tree, Corynocarpus laevigatus J.R. & G.Forst., is shown to be gynodioecious. Flowers on female plants have large but empty anthers and many set fruit. Flowers on male plants produce pollen and each has a fully developed ovule. On most male plants, a low proportion of flowers set fruit. Inflorescences and flowers on male and female trees are similar in overall appearance, except that the flower parts on males are larger and flowers open more widely. Even the gynoecia on male plants are larger in most respects. We also report that although trees retain their gender, their intensity of fruiting varies from year to year. Some observations indicate that other species of Corynocarpus in Australia and the south-western Pacific might also be gender dimorphic.
Acknowledgements
Sabrina Malcolm and Linda Sorensen assisted with recording observations. Bill Malcolm provided close-up photographs of flowers for Fig. 2 and Ewen Cameron provided a photocopy of an article. PGJ and RGF thank the Science Faculty at Victoria University for a summer research grant. We thank two anonymous referees for helpful comments on the manuscript.
Alexander MP
(1969) Differential staining of aborted and non-aborted pollen. Stain Technology 44, 117–122.
| PubMed |
Bateman AJ
(1955) Note on dioecy in the Cruciferae. Heredity 9, 415.
Bawa KS, Webb CJ
(1984) Flower, fruit and seed abortion in tropical forest trees: implications for the evolution of paternal and maternal reproductive patterns. American Journal of Botany 71, 736–751.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Braggins JE,
Large MF, Mabberley DJ
(1999) Sexual arrangements in kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile, Meliaceae). Telopea 8, 315–324.
Castro I, Robertson AW
(1997) Honeyeaters and the New Zealand forest flora: the utilisation and profitability of small flowers. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 21, 169–179.
Costall JA,
Carter RJ,
Shimada Y,
Anthony D, Rapson GL
(2006) The endemic tree Corynocarpus laevigatus (karaka) as a weedy invader in forest remnants of southern North Island, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 44, 5–22.
Delph LF,
Galloway LF, Stanton ML
(1996) Sexual dimorphism in flower size. American Naturalist 148, 299–320.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Endress ME,
Igersheim A, Garnock-Jones PJ
(1998) Sexual dimorphism and secondary pollen presentation in Geniostoma ligustrifolium (Geniostomaceae). American Journal of Botany Supplement 85, 126.
Garnock-Jones PJ
(1986) Floret specialisation, seed production, and gender in Artemisia vulgaris (Asteraceae, Anthemideae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 92, 285–302.
Garnock-Jones PJ
(1991) Gender dimorphism in Cheesemania wallii (Brassicaceae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 29, 87–90.
Godley EJ
(1979) Flower biology in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 17, 441–466.
Gravatt DJ
(1970) Honeyeater movements and the flowering cycle of vegetation on Little Barrier Island. Notornis 17, 96–101.
Heine EM
(1937) Observations on the pollination of New Zealand flowering plants. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 67, 133–148.
Kärkkäinen K,
Savolainen O, Koski V
(1999) Why do plants abort so many developing seeds: bad offspring or bad maternal genotypes? Evolutionary Ecology 13, 305–317.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lloyd DG
(1979) Parental strategies of angiosperms. New Zealand Journal of Botany 17, 595–606.
Lloyd DG, Bawa K
(1984) Modification of the gender of seed plants in varying conditions. Evolutionary Biology 17, 255–338.
Merrett MF
(2005) Gynodioecy in Teucridium parvifolium (Verbenaceae), a threatened, small-leaved shrub from New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 43, 613–617.
Moore LB
(1986) Fruitless karaka. Auckland Botanical Society Newsletter 41, 42.
Newstrom L, Robertson A
(2005) Progress in understanding pollination systems in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 43, 1–59.
Philipson WR
(1987) Corynocarpus J.R. et G.Forst.—an isolated genus. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 95, 9–18.
Pigott E
(1927) Observations on Corynocarpus laevigata Forst., the karaka. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute 58, 57–71.
Platt G
(2003) Observations on karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) and its fruit. Auckland Botanical Society Journal 58, 29–31.
Renner SS, Ricklefs RE
(1995) Dioecy and its correlates in the flowering plants. American Journal of Botany 82, 596–606.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rivers EM
(1971) Variation in dioecism in cultivated Dodonaea viscosa. New Zealand Journal of Botany 9, 549–554.
Robinsohn I
(1924) Die Fähbungsreaktion der Narbe, Stigmatchromie, als morpho-biologische Blütenuntersuchungsmethode. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. Abteilung 1 132, 181–211.
Sawyer J,
McFadgen B, Hughes P
(2003) Karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus J.R. et G.Forst.) in Wellington Conservancy (excluding Chatham Islands). Department of Conservation Internal Series 101, 1–27.
Schultz ST
(2003) Sexual dimorphism in gynodioecious Sidalcea hirtipes (Malvaceae). II. Floral traits. International Journal of Plant Sciences 164, 175–180.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Skey W
(1872) Preliminary notes on the isolation of the bitter substance of the nut of the karaka tree (Corynocarpus laevigata). Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 4, 316–321.
Van Essen RA, Rapson GL
(2005) Fruit size of karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) in relation to potential selection by Maori. New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter 81, 13–16.
Wagstaff SJ, Dawson MI
(2000) Classification, origin, and patterns of diversification of Corynocarpus (Corynocarpaceae) inferred from DNA sequences. Systematic Botany 25, 134–149.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Webb CJ
(1979) Breeding systems and the evolution of dioecy in New Zealand apioid Umbelliferae. Evolution 33, 662–672.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Webb CJ,
Lloyd DG, Delph LF
(1999) Gender dimorphism in indigenous New Zealand seed plants. New Zealand Journal of Botany 37, 119–130.
Yampolsky C, Yampolsky H
(1922) Distribution of sex forms in the phanerogamic flora. Bibliotheca Genetica 3, 1–62.
Zhang L-B,
Simmons MP,
Kocyan A, Renner SS
(2006) Phylogeny of the Curcurbitales based on DNA sequences of nine loci from three genomes: implications for morphological and sexual system evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39, 305–322.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
