HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (14) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bawa, K. S. Articles by Grayum, M. H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Bawa, K. S. Articles by Grayum, M. H. Agricola Articles by Bawa, K. S. Articles by Grayum, M. H.

Relationships among time, frequency, and duration of flowering in tropical rain forest trees¹

²Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 USA; ³Department of Biology, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea 136-742; ⁴Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri 63166 USA

Flowering patterns are defined by the timing, duration, and frequency of flowering. Plants, particularly in the tropics, vary enormously with respect to these main variables of flowering. We used data from 302 tree species in a wet tropical forest to test a series of predictions regarding timing, duration, and frequency of flowering and examined the effect of each variable on the other two. Because timing, duration, and frequency of flowering can be constrained by phylogeny, we analyzed the data before and after considering phylogenetic effects at the level of family. Flowering activity peaked in the first wet season from May to July, refuting our prediction of peak flowering during the dry season. Our prediction that most species should flower several times a year was supported when species flowering more or less continually throughout the year were included in this category. Our prediction that supra-annually flowering species should be the least frequent was also supported with some qualifications. As we predicted, species flowering several times a year bloomed relatively briefly per flowering episode. Our prediction of shorter flowering duration for species flowering in the dry season and for those with a temporal separation between flowering and vegetative growth was also supported. Furthermore, supra-annually flowering species flowered for a shorter duration than annually flowering species and had a higher probability of flowering in the dry season compared to episodically or annually flowering species. Phylogeny significantly constrained variation in flowering frequency, but not in flowering time or duration, among confamilial species.

Key Words: Costa Rica • flowering patterns • flowering phenology • phylogeny • tropical forests

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P.-C. Zalamea, P. R. Stevenson, S. Madrinan, P.-M. Aubert, and P. Heuret Growth pattern and age determination for Cecropia sciadophylla (Urticaceae) Am. J. Botany, March 1, 2008; 95(3): 263 - 271. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A. Sherry, X. Zhou, S. Gu, J. A. Arnone III, D. S. Schimel, P. S. Verburg, L. L. Wallace, and Y. Luo Divergence of reproductive phenology under climate warming PNAS, January 2, 2007; 104(1): 198 - 202. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Kang and K. S. Bawa Effects of successional status, habit, sexual systems, and pollinators on flowering patterns in tropical rain forest trees Am. J. Botany, June 1, 2003; 90(6): 865 - 876. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]