Format: ORAL

Ryosuke Iritani1,2

1 Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), RIKEN, Wako, Saitama, Japan. 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Inclusive fitness theory of kin selection has been very successful in evolutionary biology, which provides both conceptual and theoretical explanations for the evolution of numerous traits ranging from social behaviors, microbial interactions, and disease evolution. There are also cases where inclusive fitness theory has been applied to plant ecology, for example, the evolution of sex allocation, seed dispersal, pollen dispersal, and dormancy. However, the conceptual gap between inclusive fitness theory and plant ecology is still large, rendering the powerfulness of the theory at most in its intuitiveness. In this talk, I will tell you a bit about why inclusive fitness theory should be (re-)advocated in plant ecology. Specifically, I will show some classical, elementary predictions derived from inclusive fitness theory, including (i) the effect of local competition on the evolution of interaction among relatives, (ii) kin recognition as unnecessary conditions for inclusive fitness theory, and (iii) the effects of plant reproductive traits (selfing, pollen dispersal, and seed dispersal) on inclusive fitness theory. Finally, I will draw an example from the evolutionary dynamics of plant reproductive traits to highlight plant reproductive traits as model systems of inclusive fitness theory theory.