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The effect of pollen competition on maintenance of variation in fertilisation ability

Lankinen, Åsa LU and Skogsmyr, Io LU (2001) In Oikos 93(3). p.459-469
Abstract
Pollen competition in the pistil does not only give flowering plants the possibility to reduce inbreeding but also provides an opportunity for selection of pollen traits that increase male reproductive success. An objection to the existence of selection on pollen competitive ability is that individual variation should quickly vanish if selection is strong. A balance between selection for local adaptation of sporophytes within sites and pollen flow between sites could maintain variation in pollen competitive ability. A prerequisite is that variation in male competitive ability is condition dependent, i.e., influenced by sporophytic adaptation to a parch. This further means that selection on pollen competitive ability can occur both directly... (More)
Pollen competition in the pistil does not only give flowering plants the possibility to reduce inbreeding but also provides an opportunity for selection of pollen traits that increase male reproductive success. An objection to the existence of selection on pollen competitive ability is that individual variation should quickly vanish if selection is strong. A balance between selection for local adaptation of sporophytes within sites and pollen flow between sites could maintain variation in pollen competitive ability. A prerequisite is that variation in male competitive ability is condition dependent, i.e., influenced by sporophytic adaptation to a parch. This further means that selection on pollen competitive ability can occur both directly on the gamethophytic level and indirectly on the sporophytic level. Our dynamic model shows that maintenance of variation in male competitive ability is more probable when: differences in pollen competitive ability influence male fitness, i.e., in cases with pollen competition, than when differences in this trait only is a side effect of selection for more viable individuals. Since there is a connection between the gamethophytic and sporophytic life-phases, the incidence of pollen competition between donors should make it more probable that variability also in sporophyte fitness is preserved. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Oikos
volume
93
issue
3
pages
459 - 469
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:0034929248
ISSN
1600-0706
DOI
10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.930311.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Theoretical ecology (Closed 2011) (011006011), Department of Ecology (Closed 2011) (011006010)
id
e0c9ca3d-b9d3-4b87-810c-24b0de5769c3 (old id 147643)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:22:33
date last changed
2022-02-11 06:04:17
@article{e0c9ca3d-b9d3-4b87-810c-24b0de5769c3,
  abstract     = {{Pollen competition in the pistil does not only give flowering plants the possibility to reduce inbreeding but also provides an opportunity for selection of pollen traits that increase male reproductive success. An objection to the existence of selection on pollen competitive ability is that individual variation should quickly vanish if selection is strong. A balance between selection for local adaptation of sporophytes within sites and pollen flow between sites could maintain variation in pollen competitive ability. A prerequisite is that variation in male competitive ability is condition dependent, i.e., influenced by sporophytic adaptation to a parch. This further means that selection on pollen competitive ability can occur both directly on the gamethophytic level and indirectly on the sporophytic level. Our dynamic model shows that maintenance of variation in male competitive ability is more probable when: differences in pollen competitive ability influence male fitness, i.e., in cases with pollen competition, than when differences in this trait only is a side effect of selection for more viable individuals. Since there is a connection between the gamethophytic and sporophytic life-phases, the incidence of pollen competition between donors should make it more probable that variability also in sporophyte fitness is preserved.}},
  author       = {{Lankinen, Åsa and Skogsmyr, Io}},
  issn         = {{1600-0706}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{459--469}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Oikos}},
  title        = {{The effect of pollen competition on maintenance of variation in fertilisation ability}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.930311.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1034/j.1600-0706.2001.930311.x}},
  volume       = {{93}},
  year         = {{2001}},
}