Abstract
Deviations from the 1:1 sex ratio are common in dioecious plants. The tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea is among an extremely rare group of dioecious plants which is widely recognized as female-biased. Here we report on differences in sex ratios between native (Eilat, northern Red Sea) and invasive (Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea) populations. While H. stipulacea populations were female-biased in the native region, invasive populations were either male- or female-biased. The existence of both sexes simultaneously in the Mediterranean invasive population, might help its ongoing expansion in the Mediterranean, thereby threatening local seagrasses species.
DOI
10.1515/bot-2018-0015
Publication Date
2018-08-01
Publication Title
Botanica Marina
Volume
61
Issue
4
Publisher
De Gruyter
ISSN
0006-8055
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, H., Kleitou, P., Kletou, D., Sapir, Y., & Winters, G. (2018) 'Differences in flowering sex ratios between native and invasive populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea', Botanica Marina, 61(4). De Gruyter: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2018-0015
