Correct option is C
The concept of sex-specific floral phenology revolves around how environmental factors, such as resource availability, climate, and pollinator service, affect the production of male and female flowers in plants. If a plant produces more male flowers, it may be correlated with factors like the longevity of the flowers and the plant's seasonal flowering distribution. Option (c) asserts that plasticity in the sex of flowers and flowering phenology is independent of resource status or climatic factors, which directly opposes the idea that these factors influence flowering behaviors, including the number of male flowers produced. Therefore, (c) does not support the observation of sex-specific floral phenology.
Information Booster:
- Sex-specific floral phenology refers to how the production of male and female flowers in a plant is influenced by environmental factors such as resources, climate, and pollinator availability.
- Plants may produce more male flowers to increase pollination success when resources are limited or in response to seasonal flowering patterns.
- Plasticity in sex and flowering phenology suggests that plants can adjust their flowering behaviors in response to changing environmental conditions.
- Resource-limited females may benefit from an increased production of male flowers as this can lead to higher pollination rates.
- Climatic fluctuations, including rainfall patterns, can directly influence pollinator service and, in turn, the plant's reproductive strategy, including its flowering phenology.
- The observation of increased male flowers as a strategy for improving pollination rates suggests that environmental factors like pollinator availability and climatic conditions play a key role in determining the plant's reproductive traits.
Additional Information:
- (a) Females are often resource-limited and therefore pollination levels will be increased by producing more male flowers. This option supports the observation, as it suggests that resource-limited plants may increase male flowers to enhance pollination success.
- (b) Fluctuations in the rainfall pattern can influence pollinator service due to altered physiology of the plant during its reproduction, leading to a shift in flowering phenology of both sexes. This statement also supports the observation, as it indicates how climatic factors like rainfall can influence plant reproductive behavior.
- (d) Male competition will favour floral features that improve pollinator visits and therefore more male flowers. This option supports the observation by suggesting that male competition for pollinators leads to the production of more male flowers.
