Documenting the effect of foundress number in a dioecious fig, Ficus fistulosa, in Malaysia

Abstract

We studied foundress number and its effect on seed production in a dioecious fig Ficus fistulosa in Sarawak, Malaysia. The effects of flowering time and the two-way interaction of flowering time and tree location on foundress number were statistically significant. A multiple regression indicated seed production increased significantly with the number of foundresses. Our results indicate that phenology and local ecological factors generate a large variance in foundress number, which in turn affects the reproductive success of E fistulosa. © 2008 by The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.