Abstract Detail

Reproductive Processes

Semski, Wendy [1], Mitchell, Randall [2], Karron, Jeffrey [3].

Individual flowering schedules and floral display size in monkeyflower: a common garden study.

The timing and duration of flowering (flowering phenology) is crucial to reproductive success because it determines the number and identity of potential mates. Shifts in phenology due to climate change can have important evolutionary and ecological consequences at the community, population, and individual plant level. However, most studies examine singular components of flowering phenology in natural populations, such as date of first flower or flower abundance, and fail to account for individual plant variation in flowering schedules. Studies of among-plant variation in patterns of flower deployment can provide important insights concerning mating patterns, especially the extent of among-flower, within-plant (geitonogamous) self-fertilization. In nature, the relative contributions of environmental conditions and heritable traits that influence the flowering schedule are often confounded. There is a critical need for common garden studies to tease apart the environmental and genetic factors influencing flowering phenology. In this study, we raised individual plants grown from seed from 9 natural populations of Mimulus ringens in a common garden. M. ringens is a wetland perennial native to central and eastern North America, and plants produce flowers that last for only half a day. We recorded the daily floral display for the duration of the flowering period for 20 individuals from each of the 9 populations. We then analyzed the components of the flowering phenology, including date of first flower, daily floral display size, total flower number, flowering duration, and flowering synchrony. Individual flowering schedules and components vary widely within and among populations in the common garden. First and last flowering do not fully explain the shape of the individual flowering schedules. Within populations, individuals are asynchronous in their peak flowering, which may reduce mate diversity and effective population size.

1 - UW-Milwaukee, Dept Of Bio Sci, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, United States
2 - University Of Akron, Department Of Biology, Dept Of Biology, Akron, OH, 44325, United States
3 - University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department Of Biological Sciences, Po Box 413, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, United States

Keywords:
flowering phenology
Floral display
pollination
selfing.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: REP1, Reproductive Processes 1
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2020
Time: 10:15 AM
Number: REP1002
Abstract ID:248
Candidate for Awards:None