Table 2.

How to interpret different types of comparison between females and hermaphrodites for a given species

	Comparison of open-pollinated flowers
Comparison of outcrossed flowers	F < H	F = H	F > H
F < H	FD	–	–
F = H	FD due to pollen limitation	No FA	FA mainly due to the avoidance of ID
F > H	FD due to pollen limitation. FA may be pollinator dependent*	FA may be pollinator dependent*	FA not (entirely) due to the avoidance of ID

When female (F) vs. hermaphrodite (H) comparisons were performed in both open-pollinated and artificially outcrossed flowers, several combinations of results could be found for a given trait. Whereas comparisons of open-pollinated flowers highlight whether females benefit from a female advantage (FA) or disadvantage (FD) in natural conditions, comparisons based on hand-pollinated (outcross) flowers provide information on whether the avoidance of self-pollination and associated inbreeding depression (ID) may be one proximal explanation of this fitness advantage, as soon as they were performed in the same ecological conditions as open pollinations.

A dash indicates situations that have not been reported in this review. In cases marked by an asterisk, a female advantage could occur (probably due to resource reallocation, rather than avoidance of ID) in non-pollen-limited situations.