Differential niche modification by males and females of a dioecious herb: extending the Jack Sprat effect

Males and females of dioecious plants often differ in morphological, physiological, and life-history traits, probably as a result of their different requirements for reproduction. Here, we show that the growth and reproductive effort of individuals of the dioecious herb Mercurialis annua depended on whether males or females had been growing in the soil previously. This suggests that males and females of M. annua differentially modify the soil in which they are growing. Our study indicates that sexual dimorphism in dioecious plants can give rise to increased environmental heterogeneity as a consequence of sex-specific niche modification.