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FERTILITY SELECTION ON A DISCRETE FLORAL POLYMORPHISM IN CLARKIA (ONAGRACEAE)
Author(s) -
Jones Kristiiovi
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1996.tb04473.x
Subject(s) - biology , onagraceae , natural selection , selection (genetic algorithm) , reproductive success , mating , mating system , pollinator , fertility , evolutionary biology , allele , frequency dependent selection , disruptive selection , zoology , genetics , population , ecology , pollination , pollen , gene , demography , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
This study investigated fertility selection on a flower petal pigmentation polymorphism in Clarkia gracilis ssp. sonomensis . Natural populations are typically composed of nearly 100% spotted‐petal plants, although rare populations contain a majority of unspotted plants. I compared fitness values for the two morphs using a simple fertility model to estimate selection for experimental arrays of plants placed into existing populations of different phenotypic frequencies. Both male and female reproductive success were estimated as well as the pattern of mating among phenotypes. Although the separate fitness components varied from no differences to a strong advantage for spotted plants, for every situation the selection calculations predicted an increase in the frequency of the spotted allele. Pollinator behavior and postpollination mechanisms may be responsible for the fitness differences. The apparent inability of the unspotted allele to spread though most natural populations is consistent with its selective disadvantage in this study.