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Pollination mode and life form strongly affect the relation between mating system and pollen to ovule ratios
Author(s) -
Michalski Stefan G.,
Durka Walter
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02861.x
Subject(s) - outcrossing , mating system , biology , pollination , anemophily , ovule , pollen , mating , botany , outbreeding depression , ecology , pollinator , inbreeding , population , demography , sociology
Summary• Pollen to ovule (P : O) ratios have been hypothesized to correlate with the degree of outcrossing and thus with the mating system of a plant. Also, P : O ratios are likely to vary with respect to pollination mode (i.e. wind pollination or animal pollination). Furthermore, constraints on the evolution of mating systems depending on life form may affect P : O ratios. • We compiled P : O ratios and outcrossing rates for 107 angiosperm species and analyzed the relation between these traits considering pollination mode, life form and phylogenetic relatedness among species. • In general, P : O ratios correlated significantly with outcrossing rates. However, when taking additional factors into account, the relation became ambiguous. The correlation was significantly positive in wind‐pollinated species, but only marginally so in animal‐pollinated species. Wind‐pollinated species had higher P : O ratios than animal‐pollinated taxa. In woody perennials, outcrossing was the predominant mating system and outcrossing rates did not correlate with P : O ratios. The results were not altered by accounting for phylogenetic relatedness among species. • The results indicate that P : O ratios vary more strongly with pollination mode and life form than with the mating system.