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Unexpectedly high outcrossing rate in both dense and sparse patches in self-compatible Pedicularis rex (Orobanchaceae)

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An Erratum to this article was published on 21 November 2012

Abstract

Pedicularis rex, a self-compatible alpine herb, depends exclusively on pollinators for reproduction. Previous study has revealed that 74.7 % of genetic variability occurs among populations in Yunnan, indicating a mixed mating system for the species. The large floral display also indicates high potential geitonogamy. Therefore, plant density and display size may be important factors influencing the realized mating system of P. rex. In the study reported here we explored the effects of plant density and floral display size on pollinator movements and thus outcrossing rate in two patches of in P. rex at low and high plant densities. We examined foraging behavior of bumblebees, measured reproductive outputs under hand and natural pollination, and estimated the outcrossing rates using RAPD markers. Floral display size was significantly larger and bumblebees visited significantly more flowers in sequence on individual plants in the sparse patch than in the dense patch. We found a significant positive correlation between floral display size and successive visits in the sparse patch, but not in the dense patch. Regression analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation between fruit production and flower production per plant with a theoretical maximum of 63 fruits per plant, but no relationship between seed production and flower production per plant. Contrary to previous studies on genetic structure, however, we found an unexpectedly high outcrossing rate in both the sparse and the dense patch (t m = 1.151 and 0.924, respectively). Resource limitation may intensify seed competition and result in selected seed abortion, which may largely explain the unexpectedly high outcrossing rate.

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Acknowledgments

We thank K. Ritland for making the MLDT program available. We also thank W. Shi for her assistance with the field and laboratory work, and Dr. M.X. Ren for revising the manuscript. In particular, we thank Prof. Y.H. Guo for his helpful suggestions. This work was funded by a National Natural Science Foundation of China grant (30900127) to J. Xia.

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  1. Engineering Research Centre for the Protection and Utilization of Bioresource in Ethnic Area of Southern China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China

    Xia Jing, Liu Hong & Qin Rui

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  1. Xia Jing
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  2. Liu Hong
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  3. Qin Rui
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Correspondence to Xia Jing.

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Jing, X., Hong, L. & Rui, Q. Unexpectedly high outcrossing rate in both dense and sparse patches in self-compatible Pedicularis rex (Orobanchaceae). Plant Syst Evol 299, 49–56 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-012-0701-x

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