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Christopher DA, Mitchell RJ, Karron JD. Pollination intensity and paternity in flowering plants. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:1-9. [PMID: 31586397 PMCID: PMC6948204 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Siring success plays a key role in plant evolution and reproductive ecology, and variation among individuals creates an opportunity for selection to act. Differences in male reproductive success can be caused by processes that occur during two stages, the pollination and post-pollination phases of reproduction. In the pollination phase, heritable variation in floral traits and floral display affect pollinator visitation patterns, which in turn affect variation among plants in the amount of pollen exported and deposited on recipient stigmas. In the post-pollination phase, differences among individuals in pollen grain germination success and pollen tube growth may cause realized paternity to differ from patterns of pollen receipt. The maternal plant can also preferentially provision some developing seeds or fruits to further alter variation in siring success. SCOPE In this review, we describe studies that advance our understanding of the dynamics of the pollination and post-pollination phases, focusing on how variation in male fitness changes in response to pollen limitation. We then explore the interplay between pollination and post-pollination success, and how these processes respond to ecological factors such as pollination intensity. We also identify pressing questions at the intersection of pollination and paternity and describe novel experimental approaches to elucidate the relative importance of pollination and post-pollination factors in determining male reproductive success. CONCLUSIONS The relative contribution of pollination and post-pollination processes to variation in male reproductive success may not be constant, but rather may vary with pollination intensity. Studies that quantify the effects of pollination and post-pollination phases in concert will be especially valuable as they will enable researchers to more fully understand the ecological conditions influencing male reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothy A Christopher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey D Karron
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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Ovule positions within linear fruit are correlated with nonrandom mating in Robinia pseudoacacia. Sci Rep 2016; 6:36664. [PMID: 27819357 PMCID: PMC5098198 DOI: 10.1038/srep36664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-pollination processes can lead to nonrandom mating among compatible pollen donors. Moreover, morphological patterns of ovule development within linear fruits are reportedly nonrandom and depend on ovule position. However, little is known about the relationship between nonrandom mating and ovule position within linear fruit. Here, we combined controlled pollen competition experiments and paternity analyses on R. pseudoacacia to better understand nonrandom mating and its connection with ovule position. Molecular determination of siring success showed a significant departure from the expected ratio based on each kind of pollen mixture, suggesting a nonrandom mating. Outcrossed pollen grains, which were strongly favored, produced significantly more progeny than other pollen grains. Paternity analyses further revealed that the distribution of offspring produced by one specific pollen source was also nonrandom within linear fruit. The stylar end, which has a higher probability of maturation, produced a significantly higher number of outcrossed offspring than other offspring, suggesting a correlation between pollen source and ovule position. Our results suggested that a superior ovule position exists within the linear fruit in R. pseudoacacia, and the pollen that was strongly favored often preferentially occupies the ovules that were situated in a superior position, which ensured siring success and facilitated nonrandom mating.
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Sorin YB, Mitchell RJ, Trapnell DW, Karron JD. Effects of pollination and postpollination processes on selfing rate in Mimulus ringens. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2016; 103:1524-1528. [PMID: 27539262 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1600145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Selfing rates vary widely within and among populations of self-compatible flowering plants. This variation is often attributed to differences in the amount and timing of self and outcross pollen deposition on stigmas, as well as to the influence of postpollination mechanisms that control fertilization success. This study explores the relative importance of pollination and postpollination processes in determining selfing rates in monkeyflower, Mimulus ringens. METHODS We hand-pollinated flowers on 17 unrelated mothers with pollen from one of three experimental treatments intended to replicate field conditions: (1) simultaneous deposition of 50% self pollen and 50% outcross pollen from 5 unrelated donors; (2) self pollen followed 15 min later by application of an equal amount of outcross pollen from five unrelated donors; and (3) outcross pollen from 5 unrelated donors followed 15 min later by application of an equal amount of self pollen. We genotyped 757 progeny at 8 polymorphic microsatellite loci and used paternity exclusion to determine whether each seedling was selfed or outcrossed. KEY RESULTS When self and outcross pollen arrived simultaneously, and when self pollen arrived 15 min prior to outcross pollen, the observed proportions of self and outcross progeny did not deviate from the expected 1:1 ratio. However, when outcross pollen was applied 15 min prior to self pollen, there was a significant excess of outcross progeny. CONCLUSIONS Selfing rate in Mimulus ringens is influenced by small differences in the timing of pollen arrival, but not by nonrandom postpollination sorting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya B Sorin
- Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 413, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0413 USA
| | | | - Dorset W Trapnell
- Department of Plant Biology, 2502 Miller Plant Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-7271
| | - Jeffrey D Karron
- Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 413, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-0413 USA
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Swanson RJ, Hammond AT, Carlson AL, Gong H, Donovan TK. Pollen performance traits reveal prezygotic nonrandom mating and interference competition in Arabidopsis thaliana. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2016; 103:498-513. [PMID: 26928008 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/01/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE The lack of ability to measure pollen performance traits in mixed pollinations has been a major hurdle in understanding the mechanisms of differential success of compatible pollen donors. In previous work, we demonstrated that nonrandom mating between two accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, Columbia (Col) and Landsberg (Ler), is mediated by the male genotype. Despite these genetic insights, it was unclear at what stage of reproduction these genes were acting. Here, we used an experimental strategy that allowed us to differentiate different pollen populations in mixed pollinations to ask: (1) What pollen performance traits differed between Col and Ler accessions that direct nonrandom mating? (2) Is there evidence of interference competition? METHODS We used genetically marked pollen that can be visualized colorimetrically to quantify pollen performance of single populations of pollen in mixed pollinations. We used this and other assays to measure pollen viability, germination, tube growth, patterns of fertilization, and seed abortion. Finally, we assessed interference competition. RESULTS In mixed pollinations on Col pistils, Col pollen sired significantly more seeds than Ler pollen. Col pollen displayed higher pollen viability, faster and greater pollen germination, and faster pollen tube growth. We saw no evidence of nonrandom seed abortion. Finally, we found interference competition occurs in mixed pollinations. CONCLUSION The lack of differences in postzygotic processes coupled with direct observation of pollen performance traits indicates that nonrandom mating in Arabidopsis thaliana is prezygotic, due mostly to differential pollen germination and pollen tube growth rates. Finally, this study unambiguously demonstrates the existence of interference competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Swanson
- Department of Biology, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 USA
| | - Adam T Hammond
- Biophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 USA
| | - Ann L Carlson
- Department of Biology, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 USA
| | - Hui Gong
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 USA
| | - Thad K Donovan
- Smith Donovan Marketing & Communications, Chesterton, Indiana 46304 USA
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Marshall DL, Evans AS. Can selection on a male mating character result in evolutionary change? A selection experiment on California wild radish, Raphanus sativus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2016; 103:553-567. [PMID: 26872491 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Whenever more pollen grains arrive on stigmas than necessary to fertilize ovules, sexual selection is possible. However, the role of sexual selection remains controversial, in part because of lack of evidence on genetic bases of traits and the response of relevant characters to selection. METHODS In an experiment with Raphanus sativus, we selected on tendency to sire seeds in the stylar or basal regions of fruits. This character is likely related to pollen tube growth rate, and seed position affects rates of abortion and seed predation. We measured differences among families in seed siring and related characters and evaluated responses to selection. KEY RESULTS All replicates showed strong effects of pollen donor family on proportion of seeds sired per fruit in mixed pollinations. Most also showed effects of pollen donor family on number of pollen grains per flower and pollen diameter. Two of four replicates showed a response to selection on position of seeds sired. In responding replicates, we found trade-offs in pollen grain size and number; plants with larger pollen grains sired more seeds in the basal region. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest a genetic basis for pollen donor ability to sire seeds in competition. The significant response to selection in two replicates shows that position of seeds sired can respond to selection. Thus, all components for sexual selection to occur and affect traits are present. Variation in results among replicates might be due to changes in greenhouse conditions. Environmental effects may contribute to the maintenance of variation in these fitness-related characters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane L Marshall
- Department of Biology, MSC03-2020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 USA
| | - Ann S Evans
- Department of Biology, 99 Thomas Nelson Drive, Thomas Nelson Community College, Hampton, Virginia 23666 USA
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Hedhly A, Wünsch A, Kartal Ö, Herrero M, Hormaza JI. Paternal-specific S-allele transmission in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.): the potential for sexual selection. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:490-501. [PMID: 26559165 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Homomorphic self-incompatibility is a well-studied example of a physiological process that is thought to increase population diversity and reduce the expression of inbreeding depression. Whereas theoretical models predict the presence of a large number of S-haplotypes with equal frequencies at equilibrium, unequal allele frequencies have been repeatedly reported and attributed to sampling effects, population structure, demographic perturbation, sheltered deleterious mutations or selection pressure on linked genes. However, it is unclear to what extent unequal segregations are the results of gametophytic or sexual selection. Although these two forces are difficult to disentangle, testing S-alleles in the offspring of controlled crosses provides an opportunity to separate these two phenomena. In this work, segregation and transmission of S-alleles have been characterized in progenies of mixed donors and fully compatible pollinations under field conditions in Prunus avium. Seed set patterns and pollen performance have also been characterized. The results reveal paternal-specific distorted transmission of S-alleles in most of the crosses. Interestingly, S-allele segregation within any given paternal or maternal S-locus was random. Observations on pollen germination, pollen tube growth rate, pollen tube cohort size, seed set dynamics and transmission patterns strongly suggest post-pollination, prezygotic sexual selection, with male-male competition as the most likely mechanism. According to these results, post-pollination sexual selection takes precedence over frequency-dependent selection in explaining unequal S-haplotype frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hedhly
- Institute of Plant Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - A Wünsch
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria (CITA), Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón - IA2 (CITA-Universidad de Zaragoza), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ö Kartal
- Institute of Plant Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - M Herrero
- Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, CSIC, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - J I Hormaza
- Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea La Mayora (IHSM La Mayora - CSIC - UMA), Algarrobo-Costa, Málaga, Spain
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Carlson AL, Gong H, Toomajian C, Swanson RJ. Parental genetic distance and patterns in nonrandom mating and seed yield in predominately selfing Arabidopsis thaliana. PLANT REPRODUCTION 2013; 26:317-28. [PMID: 23843176 PMCID: PMC3825607 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-013-0228-5] [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: 05/16/2013] [Accepted: 07/03/2013] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we ask two questions: (1) Is reproductive success independent of parental genetic distance in predominately selfing plants? (2) In the absence of early inbreeding depression, is there substantial maternal and/or paternal variation in reproductive success in natural populations? Seed yield in single pollinations and proportion of seeds sired in mixed pollinations were studied in genetically defined accessions of the predominately selfing plant Arabidopsis thaliana by conducting two diallel crosses. The first diallel was a standard, single pollination design that we used to examine variance in seed yield. The second diallel was a mixed pollination design that utilized a standard pollen competitor to examine variance in proportion of seeds sired. We found no correlation between reproductive success and parental genetic distance, and self-pollen does not systematically differ in reproductive success compared to outcross pollen, suggesting that Arabidopsis populations do not experience embryo lethality due to early-acting inbreeding or outbreeding depression. We used these data to partition the contributions to total phenotypic variation from six sources, including maternal contributions, paternal contributions and parental interactions. For seed yield in single pollinations, maternal effects accounted for the most significant source of variance (16.6 %). For proportion of seeds sired in mixed pollinations, the most significant source of variance was paternal effects (17.9 %). Thus, we show that population-level genetic similarities, including selfing, do not correlate with reproductive success, yet there is still significant paternal variance under competition. This suggests two things. First, since these differences are unlikely due to early-acting inbreeding depression or differential pollen viability, this implicates natural variation in pollen germination and tube growth dynamics. Second, this strongly supports a model of fixation of pollen performance genes in populations, offering a focus for future genetic studies in differential reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann L. Carlson
- Department of Biology, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN 46383 USA
| | - Hui Gong
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN 46383 USA
| | | | - Robert J. Swanson
- Department of Biology, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN 46383 USA
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Cruz VMV, Kilian A, Dierig DA. Development of DArT marker platforms and genetic diversity assessment of the U.S. collection of the new oilseed crop lesquerella and related species. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64062. [PMID: 23724020 PMCID: PMC3665832 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The advantages of using molecular markers in modern genebanks are well documented. They are commonly used to understand the distribution of genetic diversity in populations and among species which is crucial for efficient management and effective utilization of germplasm collections. We describe the development of two types of DArT molecular marker platforms for the new oilseed crop lesquerella (Physaria spp.), a member of the Brassicaceae family, to characterize a collection in the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) with relatively little known in regards to the genetic diversity and traits. The two types of platforms were developed using a subset of the germplasm conserved ex situ consisting of 87 Physaria and 2 Paysonia accessions. The microarray DArT revealed a total of 2,833 polymorphic markers with an average genotype call rate of 98.4% and a scoring reproducibility of 99.7%. On the other hand, the DArTseq platform developed for SNP and DArT markers from short sequence reads showed a total of 27,748 high quality markers. Cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis indicated that the different accessions were successfully classified by both systems based on species, by geographical source, and breeding status. In the germplasm set analyzed, which represented more than 80% of the P. fendleri collection, we observed that a substantial amount of variation exists in the species collection. These markers will be valuable in germplasm management studies and lesquerella breeding, and augment the microsatellite markers previously developed on the taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Von Mark V. Cruz
- USDA-ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Mgt., Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Andrzej Kilian
- Diversity Arrays Technology Pty. Ltd., Yarralumla, ACT, Australia
| | - David A. Dierig
- USDA-ARS National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Marshall DL, Shaner MGM, Oliva JP. EFFECTS OF POLLEN LOAD SIZE ON SEED PATERNITY IN WILD RADISH: THE ROLES OF POLLEN COMPETITION AND MATE CHOICE. Evolution 2007; 61:1925-37. [PMID: 17683434 DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00167.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
For sexual selection to be important in plants, it must occur at pollen load sizes typical of field populations. However, studies of the impact of pollen load size on pollen competition have given mixed results, perhaps because so few of these studies directly examined the outcome of mating when pollen load size was varied. We asked whether seed paternity after mixed pollination of wild radish was affected by pollen load sizes ranging from 22 to 220 pollen grains per stigma. We examined the seed siring abilities of 12 pollen donors across 11 maternal plants. Seed paternity was statistically indistinguishable across the pollen load sizes even though, overall, the pollen donors sired different numbers of seeds. This lack of effect of pollen load size on seed paternity may have occurred because fruit abortion and early abortion or failure of fertilization of seeds increased as load size decreased. Thus, failures of fruits and seeds sired by poorer pollen donors may keep seed paternity constant across pollen load sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane L Marshall
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA.
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10
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Shaner MGM, Marshall DL. How robust is nonrandom mating in wild radish: do small pollen loads coupled with more competing pollen donors lead to random mating? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2007; 94:266-273. [PMID: 21642229 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.94.2.266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
In previous studies of the weedy annual Raphanus sativus we have demonstrated that mating is nonrandom in greenhouse plants, suggesting that sexual selection is possible. To investigate how these greenhouse results might translate to conditions more similar to the field, we manipulated both pollen load size and the number of competing pollen donors on stigmas. While the smallest pollen loads (22 grains per stigma) were small enough to reduce fruit and seed set, seed siring success was unaffected by pollen load size. When the number of competing donors in a mixed pollination was increased to four, the proportion of seeds sired by the pollen donors was the furthest from expectation, suggesting that nonrandom mating increases as the number of donors per pollination increases. There was no significant interaction between pollen load size and number of competitors per pollination. Overall, mating remained nonrandom across all treatments. Thus differential seed paternity is likely to occur in the field as well as in the greenhouse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieken G M Shaner
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
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Evidence of post-pollination barriers among three colour morphs of the deceptive orchid Dactylorhiza sambucina (L.) Soó. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1007/s00497-005-0011-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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12
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Abstract
Pollen competition and selection have significant evolutionary consequences, but very little is known about how they can be modulated. We have examined in cherry (Prunus avium L.) how pollen performance is affected by the genotype of the pollen and by the environmental conditions under which it grows, namely the pistilar tissue and temperature. The different pollen donor genotypes tested in this work differed in their behaviour both in vitro and in vivo and this behaviour was modulated depending on the female recipient they grew on. Furthermore, there was a significant temperature-genotype interaction that affected the pollen tube population census that succeeded in reaching the base of the style. The combination of these three factors, while enabling a capacity of response to variations in environmental pressures, could maintain variability in pollen performance avoiding the fixation of the genes that control pollen tube growth rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hedhly
- Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, CSIC, Zaragoza, Spain.
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13
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Mitchell RJ, Karron JD, Holmquist KG, Bell JM. Patterns of multiple paternity in fruits of Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2005; 92:885-890. [PMID: 21652470 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.92.5.885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Multiply sired fruits provide unambiguous evidence that pollen from two or more donors was deposited on a stigma and successfully fertilized ovules. Such multiple paternity within fruits can have important consequences for both parental and offspring fitness, but little is known about the frequency of multiple paternity or the mechanisms causing it. In this study we quantify the extent of multiple paternity in replicate experimental arrays of Mimulus ringens (square-stem monkeyflower) and use observations of pollinator behavior to infer mechanisms generating multiply sired fruits. In each array, floral displays were trimmed to two, four, eight, or 16 flowers per plant to span the range of display sizes observed in nature. In our sample of 204 fruits, more than 95% had two or more outcross pollen donors. The number of sires per fruit averaged 4.63 ± 0.10 (mean ± 1 SE), including selfs, and did not vary significantly with floral display treatment. Patterns of bumble bee foraging, combined with limited pollen carryover, suggest that observed levels of multiple paternity cannot be fully explained by single probes that deposited mixed pollen loads. Multiple probes to flowers, each delivering pollen from 1-3 different sires, are more likely to have caused the observed patterns. These sequential visits may reduce the potential for pollen competition and female choice based on pollen tube growth rate.
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Pietarinen P, Pasonen HL. Pollen performance and male fitness in an anemophilous, monoecious tree, Betula pendula. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1139/b04-069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Betula pendula Roth clones were examined to study the relationship between pollen grain size and pollen tube growth rate and pollen and seed performance. Two hypotheses were tested: (i) pollen donors with larger pollen grains have faster growing pollen tubes and (ii) maternal plants produce more seeds when inflorescences have been pollinated by pollen from donors with fast pollen tube growth. Pollen from 15 plants was collected, and pollen grain sizes and pollen tube growth rates were studied in vitro. Eight maternal clones were pollinated by pollen from seven paternal clones, pollen tube growth rates of the pollen donors were measured on each maternal plant, and the number and mass of the resulting seeds were analysed. There was no correlation between pollen grain size and pollen tube growth rate in vitro. Also, there was no relationship between pollen tube growth rate and the number of produced or aborted seeds. Thus, the hypothesis that larger pollen grains would have longer pollen tubes was not supported by the present study. The results of the present study do not support the idea that pollen donors with fast pollen tube growth should sire more and better seeds.Key words: Betula pendula, female choice, nonrandom abortion, pollen competition, sexual selection.
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15
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Shaner MGM, Marshall DL. Under how wide a set of conditions will nonrandom mating occur in Raphanus sativus (Brassicaceae)? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2003; 90:1604-1611. [PMID: 21653335 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.90.11.1604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Studies of the weedy annual Raphanus sativus have demonstrated that nonrandom mating, a prerequisite for sexual selection, can occur in greenhouse plants. To determine whether this nonrandom mating pattern can occur under a wide range of conditions, including conditions that might occur in the field, we considered variation in both maternal condition and pollen load size. Maternal condition was varied by altering the watering regime. Pollen load size was varied from approximately 26 to 343 pollen grains per stigma. At the smallest pollen load size, patterns of seed paternity were altered in two of the three pollen donor pairs; seed paternity became more equal among donors. For one of three pollen donor pairs, seed paternity was more divergent among donors on stressed maternal plants. Finally, for one pollen donor pair, rank order of pollen donor performance changed from the medium to the small pollen loads on stressed vs. control maternal plants. Thus, some field conditions may alter patterns of nonrandom mating in wild radish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieken G M Shaner
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 USA
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Abstract
Sexual selection has traditionally been used to explain exaggerated sexual traits in male animals. Today the concept has been developed and various other sexually related traits have been suggested to evolve in the same manner. In nearly all new areas where the theory of sexual selection has been applied, there has been an intense debate as to whether the application is justified. Is it the case that some scientists are all too ready to employ fashionable ideas? Or are there too many dogmatic researchers refusing to accept that science develops and old ideas are transformed? Maybe the controversies are simply a reflection of the difficulty of defining a theory under constant re-evaluation. Thus, we begin by summarizing the theory of sexual selection in order to assess the influence of sexual selection on the evolution of plant morphology. We discuss empirical findings concerning potentially affected traits. Although we have tried to address criticisms fairly, we still conclude that sexual selection can be a useful tool when studying the evolution of reproductive traits in plants. Furthermore, by including the evidence from an additional kingdom, a fuller understanding of the processes involved in sexual selection can be gained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Io Skogsmyr
- Department of Theoretical Ecology, Lund University, Sweden.
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Marshall DL, Diggle PK. Mechanisms of differential pollen donor performance in wild radish, Raphanus sativus (Brassicaceae). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2001; 88:242-257. [PMID: 11222247 DOI: 10.2307/2657015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In order to understand the characters on which sexual selection might operate in plants, it is critical to assess the mechanisms by which pollen competition and mate choice occur. To address this issue we measured a number of postpollination characters, ranging from pollen germination and pollen tube growth to final seed paternity, in wild radish. Crosses were performed using four pollen donors on a total of 16 maternal plants (four each from four families). Maternal plants were grown under two watering treatments to evaluate the effects of maternal tissue on the process of mating. The four pollen donors differed significantly in number of seeds sired and differed overall in the mating characters measured. However, it was difficult to associate particular mechanistic characters with ability to sire seeds, perhaps because of interactions among pollen donors within styles or among pollen donors and maternal plants. The process of pollen tube growth and fertilization differed substantially among maternal watering treatments, with many early events occurring more quickly in stressed plants. Seed paternity, however, was somewhat more even among pollen donors used on stressed maternal plants, suggesting that when maternal tissue is more competent, mating is slowed and is more selective.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Marshall
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 USA; and
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Marshall DL, Avritt JJ, Shaner M, Saunders RL. Effects of pollen load size and composition on pollen donor performance in wild radish, Raphanus sativus (Brassicaceae). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2000. [PMID: 11080112 DOI: 10.2307/2656738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
A critical concern in the debate over the importance of sexual selection in plants is whether the nonrandom mating demonstrable in greenhouse crosses can occur in the field. Field populations likely experience smaller and more variable pollen load sizes than those that have been used in many greenhouse experiments. Therefore, we performed a greenhouse experiment in which we varied both pollen load size and composition in wild radish, Raphanus sativus, and examined the paternity of seeds. We used five maternal plants and four pairs of pollen donors. We were able to produce pollen loads of 40, 118, and 258 grains per stigma. The smallest of the pollen loads was scant enough to result in a slight, but significant reduction in seed number per fruit. While variation in pollen load composition significantly affected the proportions of seeds fathered by different donors, variation in pollen load size did not. The relative performance of different donors was constant across pollen load sizes, suggesting that, for this species, differential performance of pollen donors can occur at pollen load sizes that are likely to occur in field populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- D L Marshall
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 USA
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Krauss SL. The realized effect of postpollination sexual selection in a natural plant population. Proc Biol Sci 2000; 267:1925-9. [PMID: 11075703 PMCID: PMC1690774 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ultimate importance of postpollination sexual selection has remained elusive, largely because of the difficulty of assigning paternity in the field. Here I use a powerful new molecular marker (AFLP) for paternity analysis in a natural population of the outcrossing angiosperm Persoonia mollis (Proteaceae) to assess male reproductive success following equal pollination of 15 pollen donors on each of 6310 pistils. These results were contrasted with male reproductive success of these same plants following natural mating. Following equal pollination, there was a significant departure from equal siring success, indicating a potential for postpollination sexual selection. The most successful pollen donor sired more than twice the expected number of seeds, and this was largely consistent across recipient plants. However, siring success following natural mating was significantly different from siring success following artificial pollination and showed that the reproductive gains to be made from superior pollen performance did not translate into increased reproductive success following natural mating. As the ecological context for post-pollination sexual selection is strong in P. mollis, I suggest that pollen competition may ultimately have only a weak effect on non-random male mating success under natural conditions because the realized opportunities for pollen competition within pistils are limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Krauss
- Division of Botany and Zoology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT.
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Spatial genetic structure of delphinium nuttallianum populations: inferences about gene flow. Heredity (Edinb) 1999; 83 (Pt 5):541-50. [PMID: 10620026 DOI: 10.1038/sj.hdy.6885920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial genetic structure of a plant population provides a potential record of past gene flow and mating. We used hierarchical F-statistics and spatial autocorrelation to characterize spatial genetic differentiation of allozymes in adult Delphinium nuttallianum plants within and among six natural populations separated from one another by up to 3 km. Previous direct estimates suggested that gene flow is highly localized, averaging << 10 m. Earlier studies of seed-set, pollen-tube growth and progeny fitness suggested that partial reproductive isolation exists between plants growing too close together (<3 m) and too far apart (>100 m). Thus we anticipated substantial genetic differentiation on scales of a few to hundreds of metres. However, we detected little differentiation among the six populations, among replicate study plots within populations, or among subsections of study plots, except at the smallest scale of cm to m. These results suggest that relatively rare long-distance pollen movement has gone undetected and that postpollination selection may further modify genetic structure during the life cycle. Lack of differentiation is not at odds with the observation of partial reproductive isolation, because some loci may respond to spatial variation in selection without this response being evident at marker loci.
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