Evolutionary consequences of ecological factors : pollinator reliability predicts mating-system traits of a perennial plant
(2016) In Ecology Letters 19(12). p.1486-1495- Abstract
The reproductive-assurance hypothesis predicts that mating-system traits will evolve towards increased autonomous self-pollination in plant populations experiencing unreliable pollinator service. We tested this long-standing hypothesis by assessing geographic covariation among pollinator reliability, outcrossing rates, heterozygosity and relevant floral traits across populations of Dalechampia scandens in Costa Rica. Mean outcrossing rates ranged from 0.16 to 0.49 across four populations, and covaried with the average rates of pollen arrival on stigmas, a measure of pollinator reliability. Across populations, genetically based differences in herkogamy (anther–stigma distance) were associated with variation in stigmatic pollen loads,... (More)
The reproductive-assurance hypothesis predicts that mating-system traits will evolve towards increased autonomous self-pollination in plant populations experiencing unreliable pollinator service. We tested this long-standing hypothesis by assessing geographic covariation among pollinator reliability, outcrossing rates, heterozygosity and relevant floral traits across populations of Dalechampia scandens in Costa Rica. Mean outcrossing rates ranged from 0.16 to 0.49 across four populations, and covaried with the average rates of pollen arrival on stigmas, a measure of pollinator reliability. Across populations, genetically based differences in herkogamy (anther–stigma distance) were associated with variation in stigmatic pollen loads, outcrossing rates and heterozygosity. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that, when pollinators are unreliable, floral traits promoting autonomous selfing evolve as a mechanism of reproductive assurance. Extensive covariation between floral traits and mating system among closely related populations further suggests that floral traits influencing mating systems track variation in adaptive optima generated by variation in pollinator reliability.
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- author
- Opedal, Øystein H. LU ; Albertsen, Elena ; Armbruster, W. Scott ; Pérez-Barrales, Rocío ; Falahati-Anbaran, Mohsen and Pélabon, Christophe
- publishing date
- 2016-12-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- keywords
- Dalechampia, ecological context, herkogamy, mixed mating systems, plant–pollinator interactions, reproductive assurance
- in
- Ecology Letters
- volume
- 19
- issue
- 12
- pages
- 10 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84996565877
- pmid:27882704
- ISSN
- 1461-023X
- DOI
- 10.1111/ele.12701
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS
- id
- b02e3aa1-a727-4bfd-8499-e09711085eff
- date added to LUP
- 2024-07-24 08:46:38
- date last changed
- 2025-04-17 10:13:40
@article{b02e3aa1-a727-4bfd-8499-e09711085eff,
abstract = {{<p>The reproductive-assurance hypothesis predicts that mating-system traits will evolve towards increased autonomous self-pollination in plant populations experiencing unreliable pollinator service. We tested this long-standing hypothesis by assessing geographic covariation among pollinator reliability, outcrossing rates, heterozygosity and relevant floral traits across populations of Dalechampia scandens in Costa Rica. Mean outcrossing rates ranged from 0.16 to 0.49 across four populations, and covaried with the average rates of pollen arrival on stigmas, a measure of pollinator reliability. Across populations, genetically based differences in herkogamy (anther–stigma distance) were associated with variation in stigmatic pollen loads, outcrossing rates and heterozygosity. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that, when pollinators are unreliable, floral traits promoting autonomous selfing evolve as a mechanism of reproductive assurance. Extensive covariation between floral traits and mating system among closely related populations further suggests that floral traits influencing mating systems track variation in adaptive optima generated by variation in pollinator reliability.</p>}},
author = {{Opedal, Øystein H. and Albertsen, Elena and Armbruster, W. Scott and Pérez-Barrales, Rocío and Falahati-Anbaran, Mohsen and Pélabon, Christophe}},
issn = {{1461-023X}},
keywords = {{Dalechampia; ecological context; herkogamy; mixed mating systems; plant–pollinator interactions; reproductive assurance}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{12}},
number = {{12}},
pages = {{1486--1495}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Ecology Letters}},
title = {{Evolutionary consequences of ecological factors : pollinator reliability predicts mating-system traits of a perennial plant}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.12701}},
doi = {{10.1111/ele.12701}},
volume = {{19}},
year = {{2016}},
}