Reconciling Pollen Limitation Theories: Insights From Temperate Oak Masting

ABSTRACT Pollen limitation has a considerable influence on forest masting, the highly variable and synchronised seed production, on which forest regeneration and ecosystem dynamics largely rely. Depending on the various mechanisms possibly involved in pollen limitation, the consequences of climate change on masting could be very different. These mechanisms were investigated in 10 oak populations along a climatic gradient using surveys of airborne pollen and fruiting rate as a proxy of pollen limitation. We found no support for the widely accepted hypothesis of the intra‐annual synchrony of flower phenology when considered in isolation. Instead, the fruiting rate was largely explained by a combination of intra‐annual flower phenology synchrony, annual investment in flowering and the effects of weather on pollen maturation and diffusion. These findings highlight the need for a cohesive theoretical framework for pollen limitation to accurately predict the impact of climate change on oak‐dominated ecosystems. Pollen limitation has considerable influence on masting, the highly variable and synchronised seed production commonly reported in forest tree species. Our results, based on a 10‐year survey of the fruiting rate of 10 oak populations, call for a cohesive theoretical framework for pollen limitation that integrates different mechanisms previously considered in isolation. Such an integrated approach will be needed to accurately forecasting the impact of climate change on oak‐dominated ecosystems.