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Fruit production and floral traits: correlated evolution in Govenia (Orchidaceae)

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Abstract

The most common estimate of reproductive success in orchids is usually fruit set. Factors such as resource limitation and certain floral traits may influence reproductive success in animal-pollinated plants. Correlated evolution of reproductive success vs. seven floral traits (inflorescence length, flower number, flower distribution along inflorescence, dorsal sepal length, lateral sepal length, flower color, and column position) was studied in eight species of Govenia. Taxa represented three lineages in the genus. Independent contrasts were calculated on a phylogeny inferred from chloroplast (trnL-F IGS) DNA sequences, and a correlation test and multiple regression were then performed. Two data sets were evaluated, one including all eight species and another excluding G. utriculata, which is autogamous. The historical analyses showed that there is a correlation between reproductive success and dorsal sepal length, column position, and flower number, these correlations suggest that changes in these floral traits usually accompany evolutionary shifts in reproductive success. Multiple regression tests suggest that changes in reproductive success can be explained by shifts in flower number, inflorescence length, column position and by dorsal sepal length. When phylogeny is taken into account, our analyses showed that evolutionary shifts in these floral traits were correlated with changes in reproductive success. Evolutionary correlation between reproductive success and floral traits might be explained by the natural selection of certain floral phenotypes by pollinators.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Adolfo Espejo, Ivón Ramírez and Germán Carnevali for their reviews and comments on a previous version of the manuscript. We acknowledge the help of Flor Rodríguez in the lab. The first author gratefully acknowledges support from CONACYT for a fellowship. We also thank CONACYT for the grant to VS (P39601526).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Apartado Postal 63, Xalapa, Veracruz, C.P. 91000, Mexico

    Javier García-Cruz & Victoria Sosa

  2. Herbario Metropolitano, Departamento de Biología, División de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Apartado Postal 55-535, Mexico, DF, C.P. 09340, Mexico

    Javier García-Cruz

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  1. Javier García-Cruz
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  2. Victoria Sosa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Javier García-Cruz.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Taxa studied, selected specimens for observation of floral traits, the voucher of the DNA sequences (trnL-F IGS) used in this paper are marked with *. Herbarium abbreviations according to Index Herbariorum (www.nybg.org).

Aplectrum hyemale (Muhl. ex Willd.) Nutt. USA: (AF19959*). Bletia lilacina A. Rich. & Galeotti. MEXICO: Oaxaca: Sosa et al. 1273* (UC, XAL). Bletia purpurea (Lam.) DC. CUBA: Pinar del Río: Sosa et al. 1275* (UC, XAL). Govenia capitata Lindl.: MEXICO: Michoacán: Carranza 4094 (IEB); Díaz Barriga 2628 (IEB 94598); Rzedowski 50729 (IEB); Zamudio and Díaz Barriga 4156 (IEB); Zamudio and García 3954 (AMO, IEB); Zamudio and García-Cruz 12471* (IEB); Zamudio and Grimaldo 6671 (IEB). Govenia lagenophora Lindl.: MEXICO: Michoacán: Grimaldo 143 (IEB); Pérez and García 1700 (IEB); Pérez and Zamudio 3144 (IEB); Silva-Sáez 938 (IEB); Zamudio and García-Cruz 12494* (IEB). Govenia liliacea (Lex.) Lindl.: MEXICO: Jalisco: López-Ferrari and Espejo 955 (AMO); García-Cruz and Sánchez 1448* (AMO); Garza 410 (AMO); Cházaro and Machuca 6668 (XAL); Flores et al. 483 (AMO, IEB); S. R. de Velasco 43 (AMO x3). Govenia praecox Salazar & E. W. Greenw.: MEXICO: Veracruz: García-Cruz et al. 1447* (AMO); Hernández 128 (AMO); Salazar et al. 4748 (AMO); Salazar et al. 5071 (AMO); Martínez 774 (XAL). Govenia purpusii Schltr.: MEXICO: Jalisco: García-Cruz et al. 1449* (AMO); Santana et al. 694 (XAL); González-Tamayo s. n. (IEB); González-Tamayo and Velasco s. n. (AMO). Govenia superba (Lex.) Lodd.: MEXICO: Michoacán: Pérez-Calix 133 (AMO, IEB, XAL); Escobedo 1550 (AMO, IEB, XAL); Rzedowski 40255 (IEB); Zamudio and García-Cruz 12448* (IEB). Govenia tequilana Dressler & Hagsater: MEXICO: Jalisco: García-Cruz et al. 1450 (AMO); Hágsater 2715 (AMO, MO); Velasco 44 (AMO), 45 (AMO, MEXU); Velasco and González-Tamayo s. n. (AMO). Govenia utriculata (Sw.) Lindl.: JAMAICA: Morris 33 (NY); Syme 2413 (NY); Rothrock 71 (F); Britton 2847 (NY). Manchester: Proctor 25619 (AMES). St. Catherine: Howard and Proctor 15080 (AMES). MEXICO: Veracruz: Castillo-Campos et al. 18134* (XAL).

Appendix 2

Table 5 Results of the PICS correlation analysis for the 18 most parsimonious trees retrieved in the phylogentic analysis
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Appendix 3

Table 6 Multiple regression for PICS analysis for the 18 most parsimonious trees retrieved in phylogenetic analysis indicating the floral traits retained by the model
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García-Cruz, J., Sosa, V. Fruit production and floral traits: correlated evolution in Govenia (Orchidaceae). Evol Ecol 22, 801–815 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-007-9210-8

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