Variations in bumble bee preference and pollen limitation among neighboring populations: comparisons between Phyllodoce caerulea and Phyllodoce aleutica (Ericaceae) along snowmelt gradients

Two alpine‐snowbed shrubs, Phyllodoce caerulea and P. aleutica (Ericaceae), co‐occur in locales in northern Japan with early to late snowmelt, but they have different mating systems. Phyllodoce caerulea is an obligate outcrosser in any population, whereas the selfing ability of P. aleutica is highly variable among neighboring populations along snowmelt gradients: it shows high self‐compatibility in early to middle snowmelt populations but low self‐compatibility in late snowmelt populations. We investigated the relationships between pollinator availability and mating systems of these species along three snowmelt gradients. Relative abundance of flowers and nectar standing crop of P. caerulea decreased from early to late snowmelt plots. Bumble bees preferred P. caerulea to P. aleutica in early and middle snowmelt plots, while their preference shifted to P. aleutica in late snowmelt plots. Pollen limitation was severe in P. aleutica in early to middle snowmelt plots but it was severe in P. caerulea in late snowmelt plots. Seed‐set success under natural conditions of P. aleutica was higher than that of P. caerulea in all plots. Thus, we infer that the selfing ability of P. aleutica under pollinator limitation acts as a reproductive assurance. We conclude that the interaction through pollination between the sympatric species is strong enough to cause a phenotypic change in mating system even within a local area.