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The interplay of pollination, costs of reproduction and plant size in maternal fertility limitation in perennial Paeonia officinalis

  • Ecosystem Ecology
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Abstract

Although several factors can limit female fertility in perennial plants, rarely have they been jointly studied in a single species over several years. In this study we experimentally manipulate seed production and simultaneously analyse the potential contribution of pollen limitation, costs of reproduction and plant size to variation in seed output over a 3-year period in the perennial herb Paeonia officinalis, in southern France. Since this rare species is threatened by forest closure in many sites we also examine the causes of female fertility variation in relation to habitat closure (open habitat vs. woodland). P. officinalis has a partial self-incompatibility system and only very low ability for autonomous self pollination in the absence of pollinators. However, supplementary pollination of individual plants in three consecutive years did not significantly increase seed production above natural levels. Forest closure was associated with a decline in ovule and seed production, which again was not due to pollen limitation since supplementary pollination had no significant effect on seed set in the woodland habitat. Comparison of the maternal fertility of plants which were previously excluded from reproduction with those which were hand pollinated to maximise seed set in two previous years produced no evidence that seed production in year three is limited by costs associated with prior reproduction. Likewise, flowering probability was not related to prior seed production but was however positively related to plant size. The absence of any influence of pollen limitation or prior reproduction on seed production suggests that sub-maximal seed production in long-lived perennial herbs may be part of a size-dependent strategy that maximises life-time seed production and fitness without compromising survival.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the European programme “Mediterranean Mountain Ecosystems in a Changing World”, the C.N.R.S Long-Term Research Area “Mediterranean Backcountry”, grant ANR-05-BDIV-014 form the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, a Ph.D grant from the French government to EA and a Marco Polo research grant from AlmaUE (University of Bologna) to MG. We are grateful to Adeline André, Laure Andrieu, Audrey Coreau and Anabelle Dossantos for help with field work and Mr and Mrs Buresi and the inhabitants of Vissec for access to private land. All experiments in this study complied with the current French law concerning protected species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNRS, UMR 5175—Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Emilie Andrieu, Max Debussche & John D. Thompson

  2. Dipartimento di Biologia Evoluzionistica Sperimentale, Università di Bologna, Via Irnerio 42, Bologna, 40126, Italy

    Marta Galloni

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  1. Emilie Andrieu
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  2. Max Debussche
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  3. Marta Galloni
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  4. John D. Thompson
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Correspondence to Emilie Andrieu.

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Communicated by Russell Monson.

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Andrieu, E., Debussche, M., Galloni, M. et al. The interplay of pollination, costs of reproduction and plant size in maternal fertility limitation in perennial Paeonia officinalis . Oecologia 152, 515–524 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0662-x

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