Life Sciences Commons^™

Testing The Terminal Investment Hypothesis In California Oaks, Walter D. Koenig, Johannes M.H. Knops, William J. Carmen, Mario B. Pesendorfer

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The terminal investment hypothesis—which proposes that reproductive investment should increase with age-related declines in reproductive value—has garnered support in a range of animal species but has not been previously examined in long-lived plants, such as trees. We tested this hypothesis by comparing relative acorn production and radial growth among 1,0001 mature individuals of eight species of California oaks (genus Quercus) followed for up to 37 years, during which time 70 trees died apparently natural deaths. We found no significant differences in the radial growth, acorn production, or index of reproductive effort, taking into consideration both growth and reproduction among dying …