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Island–mainland difference in Nicotiana glauca (Solanaceae) corolla length: a product of pollinator-mediated selection?

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Abstract

A match between floral and pollinator traits, such as that between unique island plants and pollinators, is often thought to be the product of pollinator-mediated selection. I examined whether the floral morphology of an introduced hummingbird-pollinated plant, Nicotiana glauca (tree tobacco, Solanaceae), is under selection by pollinators on the California Channel Islands where it is a recent colonist. I first determined differences in floral morphology and pollinator composition between island and mainland populations of N. glauca. I found that island plants have detectably longer corollas (on average 1 mm) and are visited by hummingbird species with on average 1–2 mm longer bills than common mainland visitors. Corolla length differences were not found to be associated with site abiotic differences. Flower size does not vary consistently with season and corolla width is very consistent across sites. I tested whether island–mainland corolla length differences are the product of pollinator-mediated selection by measuring phenotypic selection and per visit effectiveness. Contrary to expectations, a longer corolla was not consistently associated with higher pollen transfer or seed count on the islands. Per visit effectiveness of longer and shorter-billed hummingbirds did differ; however, effectiveness did not depend on corolla length. Although I failed to detect expected patterns of selection for longer corollas on islands, I cannot rule out weak or past pollinator-mediated selection. It is also possible that despite the apparent match between pollinator and floral traits, island–mainland differences in corolla length are instead due to other environmental effects, selection unrelated to pollinators, or stochastic processes such as drift.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks the staff and researchers of Catalina Island Conservancy, Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary, Channel Islands National Park, and the University of California Reserve System for permission to work on their sites and their generous logistical support. B. J. Rathcke, N. M. Waser, and D. Wilken provided helpful comments throughout the project, and J. Memmot, P. Wilson, and two anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments on previous manuscripts. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0072951.

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  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1048, USA

    Sheila K. Schueller

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Schueller, S.K. Island–mainland difference in Nicotiana glauca (Solanaceae) corolla length: a product of pollinator-mediated selection?. Evol Ecol 21, 81–98 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-006-9125-9

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