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Maintenance of a fruit colour polymorphism along an elevational gradient in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

  • Plant-microbe-animal interactions – original research
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Abstract

Many plants produce colour-polymorphic fruits. However, the processes responsible for the evolution and maintenance of fruit colour polymorphisms are poorly understood. We investigated the fruit colour polymorphism in Gaultheria depressa var. novae-zealandiae (Ericaceae), a predominantly bird-dispersed, alpine shrub from New Zealand, by testing whether colour morph frequencies vary geographically to maximise fruit-foliage colour contrasts. We also conducted a seed germination experiment to test whether fruit colour morphs vary in their susceptibility to UV damage. Results showed that ‘red’ fruits were more abundant at lower elevations, while ‘white’ fruits were predominant at higher elevations. Leaf colours shifted from ‘green’ in appearance at lower elevations to ‘red’ at higher elevations. Analyses of fruit-foliage colour contrasts showed that ‘red’ fruits were more conspicuous at lower elevations, and ‘white’ fruits were more conspicuous at higher elevations, which was consistent with the hypothesis that colour morph frequencies vary geographically to maximise their conspicuousness to dispersers. However, ‘red’ fruits were generally more conspicuous than ‘white’ fruits, regardless of elevation, indicating that the maintenance of the polymorphism could not be attributed to fruit-foliage colour contrasts alone. The seed germination experiment showed that ‘white’ fruits were more resistant to UV damage, suggesting the preponderance of ‘white’ fruited individuals in the landscape results from a greater degree of protection from UV damage. The fruit colour polymorphism in Gaultheria depressa var. novae-zealandiae therefore appears to be maintained by trade-offs between conspicuousness to dispersers and tolerance to UV damage, advocating a pluralistic approach to the problem in the future.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Richard McKenzie of NIWA for his invaluable advice.

Funding

This research was supported by the Wellington Botanical Society and the Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, Victoria University of Wellington.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Te Kura Mātauranga Koiora, School of Biological Sciences, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6015, New Zealand

    Ganges Lim & K. C. Burns

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  1. Ganges Lim
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  2. K. C. Burns
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GL and KCB conceived the idea, designed the methods, and wrote the manuscript together. GL collected and analysed the data.

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Correspondence to K. C. Burns.

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Communicated by Francisco E Fonturbel.

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Lim, G., Burns, K.C. Maintenance of a fruit colour polymorphism along an elevational gradient in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Oecologia 201, 83–90 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-022-05287-5

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