Reproduction imposes a cost as resources are diverted from other functions within the plant. Ida et al. use both defoliation and shading to reduce photosynthate supply in fully pollinated plants of a perennial legume, Oxytropis sericea (Fabaceae), and find that although nectar production is reduced, fruit and seed production are not altered. Allocation of photosynthate to reproductive organs is almost doubled whilst the mass of the taproot declines by almost a third. The insensitivity of fruit and seed production to leaf manipulation is consistent with either compensatory mobilization of stored resources or ovule limitation.
