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Wu BX, Ma LN, Xia N, Wang H, Cao GX. Pollinator probing preference and switching mode-mediated self-interference within a monoecious plant significantly reduced reproductive fitness. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1243764. [PMID: 37881614 PMCID: PMC10597638 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1243764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Monoecy is usually interpreted as an important evolutionary route of the plant sexual system from hermaphroditism to dioecy. This floral mechanism can effectively reduce self-interference during the reproductive process, and the services provided by pollinators may play an essential role in monoecious species; however, relevant research is still lacking. Thus, we aimed to determine whether monoecious plants could effectively avoid self-interference and promote the evolution of monoecy under the service of pollinators. Methods Here, we successfully performed manipulation experiments to test self-compatibility, pollinator behavior, and self-interference between male and female functions in Akebia trifoliata, a typical monoecious species. Results We demonstrated that experimental self-pollination did not yield any fruit, and supplemental pollination significantly increased fruit set and fruit weight compared to natural pollination, suggesting that this species is completely self-incompatible and experiences strong pollen limitation. Simultaneous self- and cross-pollination and self-pollination prior to cross-pollination significantly reduced reproductive fitness, but self-pollination after cross-pollination did not, indicating self-interference in this plant. Moreover, both male flower probing preference and switching modes within inflorescences by pollinators successfully reinforced self-interference and were also responsible for decreasing reproductive fitness in A. trifoliata. Discussion In summary, pollinator-mediated self-interference significantly reduced selfing, providing potential dynamics for the maintenance and evolution of monoecy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bi-Xian Wu
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Li-Na Ma
- Langzhong Natural Resources and Planning Bureau, Langzhong, China
| | - Nan Xia
- Langzhong Agricultural Bureau, Langzhong, China
| | - Hao Wang
- College of Life Science, Yan’an University, Yan’an, China
| | - Guo-Xing Cao
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
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Chen X, Wang L, Yan X, Tang Z. Nutrition regulates sex expression in a gender diphasy plant, Lilium concolor var. megalanthum. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1252242. [PMID: 37771480 PMCID: PMC10523294 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1252242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Introduction The evolution and maintenance of plant polymorphism have always received much attention. Gender diphasy is a rare sexual system. Plant individuals with gender diphasy can adjust the resource allocation of different functional organs according to the changes of environmental conditions to regulate the sex expression of individuals, and the sex expression can be converted between years. However, our understanding of sex expression in plants is still very insufficient. In this study, we explored whether the perennial plant Lilium concolor var. megalanthum has a gender diphasy system and whether environmental resource availability affects its resource allocation and sex expression. Method By collecting the bulbs of two sexual phenotypes (male and hermaphrodite) in the field and simulating the application of different levels of nutrients under the same habitat conditions, the growth and reproduction indexes and sex expression of plants in two years (2021 and 2022) were measured to evaluate the resource allocation strategy and sex expression pattern of Lilium concolor var. megalanthum. Results We found that the sex expression of Lilium concolor var. megalanthum was variable in continuous years. Under limited resources, Lilium concolor var. megalanthum increases the biomass resources of the leaves and has a longer flowering period. Resource availability regulates the growth, reproduction and sex expression of Lilium concolor var. megalanthum. Bulb size is the main factor affecting its growth, reproduction and sex expression after accumulating sufficient resources. Discussion This study confirms that Lilium concolor var. megalanthum has gender diphasy system. There is a strong trade-off between growth and reproduction under limited resources. Nutrient levels can regulate the reproduction and sex expression process of Lilium concolor var. megalanthum. With the growth of Lilium concolor var. megalanthum in consecutive years, the size dependence of bulbs may be the decisive factor in its sex expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chen
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Lei Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Xingfu Yan
- Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection of Agro-pastoral Ecotones in the Yellow River Basin, National Ethnic Affairs Commission of the People’s Republic of China, College of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Zhanhui Tang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
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Chen K, Pannell JR. Disruptive selection via pollinators and seed predators on the height of flowers on a wind-dispersed alpine herb. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:1717-1729. [PMID: 36194694 PMCID: PMC9828390 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Floral stalk height is known to affect seed dispersal of wind-dispersed grassland species, but it may also affect the attractiveness of flowers and fruits of animal-pollinated and animal-dispersed plants. Stalk height may thus be responsive to selection via interactions with both mutualist pollinators and seed dispersers, but also antagonist florivores and seed predators. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of pollinators and seed predators on selection on floral stalk height in the insect-pollinated and wind-dispersed, alpine, andromonoecious herb Pulsatilla alpina, whose flowers also vary in their sex allocation and thus in the resources available to both mutualists and antagonists. METHODS We measured the resource status of individuals in terms of their size and the height of the vegetation surrounding plants of P. alpina at 11 sites. In one population, we recorded floral stalk height over an entire growing season and investigated its association with floral morphology and floral sex allocation (pistil and stamen number) and used leaf-removal manipulations to assess the effect of herbivory on floral stalk height. Finally, in four populations, we quantified phenotypic selection on floral stalk height in four female components of reproductive success before seed dispersal. RESULTS Stalk height was positively associated with female allocation of the respective flower, the resource status of the individual, and the height of the surrounding vegetation, and negatively affected by leaf removal. Our results point to disruptive selection on stalk height in terms of both selection differentials and selection gradients for fertilization, seed predation, and seed maturation rates and to positive selection on stalk height in terms of a selection differential for mature seed number. CONCLUSIONS Stalk height of P. alpina is a costly trait that affects female reproductive success via interactions with both mutualists and antagonists. We discuss the interplay between the resource status and selection imposed on female reproductive success and its likely role in the evolution of sex-allocation strategies, especially andromonoecy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai‐Hsiu Chen
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneBiophore Building1015LausanneSwitzerland
| | - John R. Pannell
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneBiophore Building1015LausanneSwitzerland
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Wang H, Zhang ZQ, Zhang B, Wang LP, Guo W, Fang Y, Li QJ. Architectural effects regulate resource allocation within the inflorescences with nonlinear blooming patterns. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:1191-1202. [PMID: 35588305 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Spatial and temporal resource allocations within inflorescences have been well-studied in many plants based on flowering sequence or floral position. However, there had been few attempts to investigate architectural effects and resource competition in species where the blooming pattern does not follow a linear positional pattern within the inflorescence. Moreover, most flowering plants show female-biased sex allocation in early or basal flowers, but it is unclear in species with inherent and changeless ovule production. METHODS We investigated intra-inflorescence variation in reproductive traits of Salvia przewalskii, a perennial herb with 4-ouvle ovary flowers and flowering sequence-floral position decoupled inflorescences. To detect the effects of resource competition and architectural effects on reproductive success, we manipulated inflorescence (removed floral buds by position and flowering sequence) and pollination (opened and supplemented pollination). RESULTS Pollen production and dry mass deceased from bottom to top flowers but did not significantly differ following flowering sequence, resulting in male-biased sex allocation in basal flowers. The seed production, fruit set, and bud development exhibited significant declining trends from proximal to distal positions regardless of the thinning and pollen treatments. Meanwhile, the seed production, fruit set, and bud development success did not significant differ when thinning was conducted according to flowering sequence. CONCLUSIONS Architectural effects plays a crucial role in resource allocation within decoupled flowering inflorescences. Moreover, our results highlighted that inherent floral traits such as changeless ovule production, may modify architectural effects on sex allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, and State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, and State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, Yunnan, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of Ministry of Education, and Sino-U.S. Centers for Grazingland Ecosystem Sustainability, College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
| | - Li-Ping Wang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, and State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, Yunnan, China
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Wen Guo
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, and State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, Yunnan, China
| | - Ye Fang
- Shangri-La Alpine Botanical Garden, Diqing, 674400, China
| | - Qing-Jun Li
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plant Reproductive Adaptation and Evolutionary Ecology, and State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, Yunnan, China
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Coelho FF, Damasceno AG, Fávaro A, Teodoro GS, Langsdorff LP. Size-dependent sex allocation in Solanum lycocarpum St. Hil. (Solanaceae). BRAZ J BIOL 2021; 82:e237575. [PMID: 33978077 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.237575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Resource allocation to reproduction can change depending on size, as predicted by the size-dependent sex allocation. This theory is based on the fact that small individuals will invest in the allocation of sex with lower cost of production, usually male gender. In plants, there are some andromonoecy species, presence of hermaphrodite and male flowers in the same individual. Andromonoecy provides a strategy to optimally allocate resources to male and female function, evolving a reproductive energy-saving strategy. Thus, our objective was to investigate the size-dependent sex allocation in Solanum lycocarpum St. Hil. We tested the hypothesis that plants with larger size will invest in the production of hermaphrodite flowers, because higher individuals have greater availability of resources to invest in more complex structures involving greater energy expenditure. The studied species was S. lycocarpum, an andromonoecious species. From June 2016 to March 2017 the data were collected in 38 individuals, divided in two groups: the larger plant group (n=18; height=3-5 m) and the smaller plant group (n=20; height=1-2 m).Our data show that there was effect of plant size on the flower production and the sexual gender allocation. The larger plants showed more flowers and higher production of hermaphrodite flowers. Furthermore, in the flower scale, we observed allometric relationship among the flower's traits with proportional investments in biomass, anther size and gynoecium size. Our results are in agreement with size-dependent sex allocation theory and andromonoecy hypothesis related to mechanisms for optimal resource allocation to male and female function.
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Affiliation(s)
- F F Coelho
- Universidade Federal de Lavras - UFLA, Departamento de Biologia, Setor de Botânica, Lavras, MG, Brasil
| | - A G Damasceno
- Universidade Federal de Lavras - UFLA, Departamento de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética, Lavras, MG, Brasil
| | - A Fávaro
- Universidade Federal de Lavras - UFLA, Departamento de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Lavras, MG, Brasil
| | - G S Teodoro
- Universidade Federal do Pará - UFPA, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brasil
| | - L P Langsdorff
- Universidade Federal de Lavras - UFLA, Departamento de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Botânica Aplicada, Lavras, MG, Brasil
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Shwe E, Wu B, Huang SQ. Both small and large plants are likely to produce staminate (male) flowers in a hermaphrodite lily. PLANT DIVERSITY 2020; 42:142-147. [PMID: 32695946 PMCID: PMC7361431 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Resource allocation to female and male function may vary among individual plants in species with variable sex expression. Size-dependent sex allocation has been proposed in hermaphrodites, in which female-biased allocation may increase with plant size. In many hermaphrodites with large floral displays, however, later-produced flowers tend to be functionally male. This paradoxical relationship between female and male function and plant size remains poorly understood. The subalpine lily Lilium lankongense has individuals of three sexual types: males with only staminate flowers, hermaphrodites with only perfect flowers, and andromonoecious plants with both perfect and staminate flowers. Here we tested theoretical predictions of size-dependent sex allocation in L. lankongense by measuring plant height and flower number of individuals of each sex at five field sites in the mountainous region of Shangri-La, southwestern China. To investigate variation in phenotypic gender, we identified sex expression of 457 individuals one year later. Our investigation showed that male plants, which usually produced one flower, were significantly smaller than andromonoecious and hermaphrodite plants. In addition, the total flower numbers of andromonoecious and hermaphrodite plants increased significantly with plant size. Large individuals were more likely to produce terminal staminate flowers, as there were more flowers in andromonoecious than in hermaphrodite individuals. Non-flowered plants were significantly smaller than flowering ones. Perfect flowers had significantly larger petals and pistils than staminate flowers, but they did not differ in dry weight of stamens. Our findings indicate that when plants are small, the less costly sex is favored, consistent with the 'size-advantage hypothesis'. When plants are large, both female and male investments change isometrically, as later-produced flowers tend to be functionally male.
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Affiliation(s)
- EiEi Shwe
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, 152 Luoyu Avenue, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, 152 Luoyu Avenue, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Shuang-Quan Huang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, 152 Luoyu Avenue, Hongshan District, Wuhan, 430079, China
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Blake-Mahmud J, Struwe L. Death, sex, and sugars: variations in nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations in a sexually plastic tree. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2020; 107:375-382. [PMID: 32080831 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Environmental sex determination (ESD) is a rare sex determination system in which individuals may switch sex expression throughout their lifetimes in response to environmental factors. In sexually stable species, individuals usually bear more female flowers if the plants are larger, have greater access to limiting resources, or are in better condition. Research regarding sexually plastic species with ESD and how resources correlate with sex expression is limited. Furthermore, most research investigates resources at the population level, failing to account for resources available to individuals for growth, maintenance, or reproduction. METHODS Acer pensylvanicum is a species that is known to switch sex. Using twig samples collected during 2014-2016 in December and May, we analyzed resource status in the form of stored nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) and compared this with expressed sex. RESULTS We found that females had higher sugar concentrations than males. Furthermore, males changing expression to female had higher sugar concentrations during the prior winter than did males remaining male. We found that size was not a key predictor: neither male nor female-flowering individuals increased NSC concentrations with size. Dying female trees had high concentrations of NSCs throughout the dying process and only manifested reduced NSCs once dead. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study showing significant correlations between NSCs and sex expression in a plant species with ESD. These findings support the hypothesis that sex switching could be a consequence of increased resource availability and that the high female mortality of A. pensylvanicum populations is likely not a direct result of carbon starvation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Blake-Mahmud
- Princeton Writing Program, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Lena Struwe
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
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Blake-Mahmud J, Struwe L. Time for a change: patterns of sex expression, health and mortality in a sex-changing tree. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 124:367-377. [PMID: 31009535 PMCID: PMC6798829 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The ability of individuals to change sex during their lifetime is known as environmental sex determination (ESD). This represents a unique life history trait, allowing plants to allocate resources differentially to male and female functions across lifetimes, potentially maximizing fitness in response to changing environmental or internal cues. In this study, Acer pensylvanicum, a species with an unconfirmed sex determination system, was investigated to see what patterns in sex expression existed across multiple years, if there were sex-based differences in growth and mortality, and whether this species conformed to theoretical predictions that females are larger and in better condition. METHODS Patterns of sex expression were documented over 4 years in a phenotypically subdioecious A. pensylvanicum population located in New Jersey, USA, and data on size, mortality, health and growth were collected. A machine-learning algorithm known as a boosted classification tree was used to develop a model to predict the sex of a tree based on its condition, size and previous sex. RESULTS In this study, 54 % of the trees switched sex expression during a 4-year period, with 26 % of those trees switching sex at least twice. Consistently monoecious trees could change relative sex expression by as much as 95 %. Both size and condition were influential in predicting sex, with condition exerting three times more relative influence than size on expressed sex. Contrary to theoretical predictions, the model showed that full female sex expression did not increase with size. Healthy trees were more likely to be male; predicted female sex expression increased with deteriorating health. Growth rate negatively correlated with multiple years of female sex expression. Populations maintained similar male-skewed sex ratios across years and locations and may result from differential mortality: 75 % of dead trees flowered female immediately before death. CONCLUSIONS This study shows conclusively that A. pensylvanicum exhibits ESD and that femaleness correlates with decreased health, in contrast to prevailing theory. The mortality findings advance our understanding of puzzling non-equilibrium sex ratios and life history trade-offs resulting from male and female sex expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Blake-Mahmud
- Princeton Writing Program, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Graduate Program in Ecology & Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Lena Struwe
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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Schnittler M, Nursafina A, Peterson A, Peterson J, Barnick C, Klahr A. Studies of life history of Gagea graeca (Liliaceae) based on morphological and molecular methods. BOTANICAL STUDIES 2017; 58:40. [PMID: 28975526 PMCID: PMC5626670 DOI: 10.1186/s40529-017-0194-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We studied the life history of Gagea graeca (L.) A. Terracc. (sect. Anthericoides) by field surveys on the Greek island of Crete, including quantitative analyses of 405 individuals, estimation of resource allocation by measuring the nitrogen content of different plant organs, assessing seed set and recording genetic diversity via amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses. In contrast to most species of the genus G. graeca seems to be a short-lived perennial, developing several characters that are rather typical for annual plants. RESULTS Although seed set varies largely, flowering plants produce many (68 ± 79) small, flattened seeds (mean weight 73 ± 22 µg) in comparison to a single bulbil. If measured as nitrogen content of the respective plant parts, investment in seeds (25%) is much higher than that in bulbils (4%). In addition, the threshold for flower formation (expressed as bulb size where 50% of the plants form the respective structure) is with 2.17 ± 0.05 mm lower than that for bulbils with 2.80 ± 0.16 mm. This is in accordance with AFLP analyses revealing predominantly sexual reproduction (only 9.1% of 110 investigated plants belonged to clones). CONCLUSION In the genus Gagea early, predominantly sexual reproduction seems to be characteristic for species from arid habitats, coupled with a low proportion of clonal plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Schnittler
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Akmaral Nursafina
- L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, 5 Munaytpassov Str, 010008 Astana, Kazakhstan
| | - Angela Peterson
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Jens Peterson
- State Office for Environmental Protection of Saxony-Anhalt, Reideburger Str. 47, 06116 Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Carl Barnick
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Anja Klahr
- Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
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Niu Y, Gong Q, Peng D, Sun H, Li Z. Function of male and hermaphroditic flowers and size-dependent gender diphasy of Lloydia oxycarpa (Liliaceae) from Hengduan Mountains. PLANT DIVERSITY 2017; 39:187-193. [PMID: 30159510 PMCID: PMC6112290 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2017.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Although hermaphroditism is common in flowering plants, unisexual flowers occur in many plant taxa, forming various sexual systems. However, the sexual system of some plants is difficult to determine morphologically, given that their sex expression may be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Specifically, androdioecy (the coexistence of both male and hermaphroditic individuals in the same population) has often been confused with the gender diphasy, a gender strategy in which plants change their sex expression between seasons. We studied the reproductive function of male and hermaphroditic flowers of Lloydia oxycarpa (Liliaceae), in order to investigate its sexual system and determine whether it is a gender-diphasic species. We found that although male flowers occur in a considerable number of plants, relative to hermaphrodites, they did not exhibit any significant reproductive advantage in terms of flower size, pollen quantity, attractiveness to visitors or siring success. In addition, this plant has spontaneous self-pollination and showed no inbreeding depression. These results render the maintenance of male individuals almost impossible. Furthermore, a considerable number of individuals changed their sex in successive years. The sex expression was found to be related to bulb size and dry weight, with larger individuals producing hermaphroditic flowers and smaller individuals producing male flowers. These results suggest that L. oxycarpa is not an androdioecious plant but represents a rare case of size-dependent gender diphasy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Niu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, 650201 Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Qiangbang Gong
- School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, 650500 Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Deli Peng
- School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, 650500 Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, 650201 Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhimin Li
- School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, 650500 Kunming, Yunnan, China
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