Seed Size Variation and Pollinator Uncertainty in Ipomopsis Aggregata (Polemoniaceae)

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Abstract
(1) Seed size variation was studied in populations of Ipomopsis aggregata, a self-incompatible, perennial monocarp, around Crested Butte, Colorado, U.S.A. (2) Up to 5-fold size variation occurred within both populations and single plants. Considerable variation also occurred among locules of a fruit. (3) Seed size was negatively related to seed number per fruit within and among fruits in most plants. Seed number was directly related to the number of pollen grains deposited on individual stigmata. (4) Seed size variation is influenced largely by pollinator effectiveness which determines the division of local resources among the seeds.