The Effects of Herbivory on Paternal Fitness in Scarlet Gilia: Better Moms Also Make Better Pops

Abstract

Whether plants can benefit from the direct effects of herbivory has been contentious among ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Although previous studies have provided experimental evidence of enhanced maternal fitness following herbivory in a natural system, an accurate depiction of plant-herbivore interactions must include the effects of herbivory on male as well as female fitness. Here we show that ungulate herbivory on scarlet gilia results in an increase in paternal as well as maternal fitness. This study represents the first evidence of overcompensation in a natural system where both paternal and maternal components of fitness have been assessed.