# Density‐Dependent Effects on the Reproductive Ecology of Trees in a Temperate Woodland

## TL;DR

This study shows that higher numbers of nearby Hawthorn trees lead to more fruit drop, suggesting that too many neighbors can hurt reproductive success.

## Contribution

The study simultaneously examines positive and negative density-dependent effects on reproductive success in a plant population.

## Key findings

- Seed set was not influenced by the density of neighboring Hawthorn trees.
- Fruit drop increased with higher densities of reproductive conspecifics.
- Both immature and mature fruit drop were linked to conspecific density, affecting seedling recruitment patterns.

## Abstract

The reproductive success of plants often depends on their local conspecific densities. The degree of isolation from conspecific plants can mediate an individual's interactions with other organisms. For example, a high density of flowers can attract pollinators and improve seed set, and a high density of seeds can attract enemies such as seed predators. It is the joint outcome of positive and negative density‐dependent effects that will determine the spatial distribution of a population, yet they are rarely studied simultaneously. We related two indicators of reproductive success (fruit set and fruit drop) to tree size and the density of neighbouring conspecifics for 32
Crataegus monogyna
(Rosaceae) individuals in a temperate woodland. Overall, 26% of flowers set seed, but seed set was not density dependent. We found that 25% of fruits were dropped before reaching maturity, and 24% of mature fruits were dropped before the typical dispersal period. The drop of both immature and mature fruits increased with the density of reproductive conspecifics in this system, with potential implications for spatial patterns of seedling recruitment.

It is the joint outcome of positive and negative density‐dependent effects which will determine the spatial distribution of a plant population, yet they are rarely studied simultaneously. We related two indicators of reproductive success (fruit set and fruit drop) to the size and density of neighbouring conspecifics for
Crataegus monogyna
(Hawthorn) individuals in a temperate woodland. Our results point towards a pattern of net negative conspecific density‐dependence in the pre‐dispersal reproductive success of Hawthorn trees, with individuals in areas with few reproductive conspecifics at an advantage.