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Pollen competition in Turnera ulmifolia (Turneraceae)
Author(s) -
Baker Angela M.,
Shore Joel S.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1995.tb15682.x
Subject(s) - biology , pollen , competition (biology) , reproductive isolation , ovule , population , pollinator , botany , outcrossing , pollination , ecology , demography , sociology
We performed mixed pollinations, involving self vs. within‐ or between‐population pollen, and used starch gel electrophoresis to assay 2,210 progeny to detect pollen competition in Turnera ulmifolia . Within populations there was no evidence for a competitive advantage to outcross pollen. Between populations a marked advantage to self pollen occurred for most populations, and the extent of this competitive advantage was correlated with increasing morphological divergence of the outcross pollen donor population. A comparison of rates of ovule abortion revealed that the biased paternity ratios cannot be the result of ovule abortion alone, and that pollen competition must be the major contributing factor. We suggest that reproductive divergence among the populations, perhaps through adaptation to different pollinators or through the evolution of increased selling, has resulted in the evolution of reproductive isolation through pollen competition.