Variation in the self‐incompatibility response within and among populations of the tropical shrub Witheringia solanacea (Solanaceae)

Breakdown of genetically enforced self‐incompatibility (SI), an extremely common and important evolutionary transition in plants, has conventionally been conceived as a qualitative rather than a quantitative change. We evaluated qualitative and quantitative variation in SI for four populations of Witheringia solanacea in Costa Rica, examining growth of self‐pollen tubes in pollinations of buds and mature flowers. We also measured levels of RNase production in styles to determine whether enzyme production was correlated with differences in self‐rejection. The two small populations contained both self‐compatible (SC) individuals and obligate outcrossers (female or SI). Plants in the two large populations were uniformly SI as revealed by pollen tube growth, although several of these individuals sporadically set seed autogamously. Stylar RNase activity did not differ significantly between bud and mature flowers, but self‐pollen tube growth did differ, suggesting that a gene product in addition to S‐RNase is responsible for developmental onset of SI. Population‐level differences in RNase activity were consistent with differences in the strength of the rejection response in bud pollinations, suggesting that a threshold level of S‐RNase, in combination with other factors, is necessary for SI. Our results support a growing body of evidence that not only qualitative variation in SI, but also quantitative variation may be functionally significant.