Intra-specific variation of fruit size and shape in Corema album (Ericaceae) along a latitudinal gradient: from fruits to populations

We aimed at quantifying fruit size and shape variability of Corema album at within-plant, among-plant, among-population and among-year levels. For two years, we measured fruit size and shape along the geographic range along Atlantic coast of Iberian Peninsula. Most variance concentrated on within- and among-individual levels for size, showing higher values for among-individual variation in fruit shape. While fruit size retained important variation among populations, this source of variance was negligible for fruit shape. This difference could arise from contrasting mechanical or developmental constraints. Despite the marked climatic differences along the latitudinal range of the species, latitude did not affect the ratio of within- to among- plant variation.