Seed size is a key determinant of evolutionary fitness, and is also one of the most important components of seed yield. In angiosperms, seed development begins with double fertilization, which leads to the formation of a diploid embryo and a triploid endosperm. The outermost layer of the seed is the seed coat, which differentiates from maternal integuments. Therefore, the size of a seed is dete...

Although antagonists are hypothesized to impede the evolution of mutualisms, they may simultaneously exert selection favouring the evolution of alternative mutualistic interactions. We found that increases in limber pine (Pinus flexilis) seed defences arising from selection exerted by a pre-dispersal seed predator (red squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) reduced the efficacy of limber pine's prim...

1 Rhododendron ponticum is a serious invasive alien plant in the British Isles and is of 2 significant conservation and economic concern. Here, we integrate information on both the 3 life-history and spatial dynamics of this species within an individual-based, spatially-explicit 4 model and investigate the effectiveness of different control strategies. Importantly, we 5 simulate seed movement a...