Selective Fruit Abortion in Prunus mahaleb (Rosaceae)

In Prunus mahaleb (Rosaceae), only a small proportion of those flowers that initially develop give rise to fruits, and the probability of producing fruit differs between flowers. The results of this study indicate that the probability of producing fruit is about 60% for the first (i.e., most proximal) flower to develop in each inflorescence, but very low for the last (i.e., most distal). This pattern is maintained regardless of between-inflorescence differences in flowering phenology, suggesting that each inflorescence can be viewed as an independent subunit with respect to allocation of resources for reproduction. These results are compatible with the ovary reserve and selective abortion hypotheses for the adaptive value of low fruit set in P. mahaleb.