Christopher X J. Jensen
Associate Professor, Pratt Institute

Major masts made by multiplicative modification

Posted 22 Oct 2015 / 0

2015-10-23bEcology LettersExtended flowering intervals of bamboos evolved by discrete multiplication

This is a great example of how theory can be used to explain patterns in nature by matching patterns in nature.

Masting is a group-level evolved phenomenon: producing seeds in abundance during a single year where every other plant of your species is doing the same is a great way to assure that at least some of your seeds survive the seed-eaters. This study shows that there strong evidence suggesting that species first settle into small-scale intervals where a modest advantage to masting can be realized by synchronized individuals and then multiply this interval to realize greater benefits of masting.

A Minor Post, Adaptation, Articles, Cooperation, Evolutionary Modeling, Multilevel Selection, Predation

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