Open AccessThe effectiveness of pre‐ and post‐zygotic barriers in avoiding hybridization between two snapdragons ( A ntirrhinum L .: P lantaginaceae)
Author(s) -
Carrió Elena,
Güemes Jaime
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/boj.12201
Subject(s) - biology , reproductive isolation , antirrhinum , isolation (microbiology) , zygote , population , evolutionary biology , ecology , botany , zoology , genetics , embryo , embryogenesis , bioinformatics , demography , sociology , arabidopsis , mutant , gene
Reproductive barriers play an important role in the maintenance of species boundaries. However, to date, few studies have provided a detailed analysis of reproductive isolation barriers between species or examined their importance in maintaining species identity. This is the first detailed study into pre‐ and post‐zygotic reproductive isolation barriers in A ntirrhinum , based on a mixed population with two species that rarely co‐occur. The study revealed that pollinator constancy and preference and poor hybrid seed viability were the most important reproductive isolating mechanisms. Reproductive isolation was practically complete by both pre‐ and post‐zygotic barriers. Average pre‐zygotic isolation was greater than post‐zygotic isolation, in accordance with the trend observed in flowering plants in which reproductive isolation is principally caused by pre‐zygotic mechanisms. However, average post‐zygotic isolation was also high, in contrast to what was expected among A ntirrhinum spp. This case highlights the importance of quantifying the reproductive isolation barriers thoroughly to understand how and why species boundaries are maintained. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2014, 176 , 159–172.