| Abstract Detail
Reproductive Processes Christopher, Dorothy [2], Karron, Jeffrey [2], Trapnell, Dorset [2], Mitchell, Randall [2]. Population selfing rates vary with floral display size and pollinator activity in natural populations of monkeyflower. The vast majority of flowering plants are hermaphroditic and can reproduce by self and outcross fertilization. The mating system has important implications for the genetic structure, selection pressure, and magnitude of inbreeding depression in a population. Populations often vary widely in their selfing rate, and therefore identifying the causal mechanisms that contribute to this variation is critical to understanding the evolutionary trajectory within populations. Experimental studies have found that floral display may play an important role in among population variation in the selfing rate because of the increased opportunity for geitonogamous self-fertilization; however, this has rarely been investigated in natural populations. Here we estimated the selfing rate in thirteen natural populations as well as quantified floral display and pollinator visitation throughout the growing season. We also measured floral traits (flower size, herkogamy) and ecological contexts (plant density, pollen limitation) that may be important covariates. We found substantial variation in the selfing rate across populations (range 0.13-0.55). We found the selfing rate is positively correlated with floral display size and negatively correlated to the pollinator visitation rate. The selfing rate was not correlated with floral traits. Additionally, inbreeding depression values varied substantially across populations, indicating that these populations have not undergone purging. These results suggest that the selfing rate responds mainly to the ecological context, and evolutionary trajectories may be quite different across populations.
1 - University Of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Dept Of Biological Sciences, 3209 N Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, United States
2 -
3 - University of Georgia, Department of Plant Biology, 120 Carlton St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
4 - University Of Akron, Department Of Biology, Dept Of Biology, Akron, OH, 44325, United States
Keywords:
selfing
pollination
mating system.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: REP2, Reproductive Processes 2
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2020
Time: 12:45 PM
Number: REP2002
Abstract ID:247
Candidate for Awards:None |
