Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mating patterns and spatial distribution of conspecific neighbours in the Mediterranean shrub Myrtus communis (Myrtaceae)

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mate abundance is one of the most important sources of variation in plant mating systems. We examined within-population heterogeneity in the pollen pool at two spatial scales (sites and plants), and investigated the mating pattern variation in Myrtus communis under diverse situations of conspecific neighbourhood, using allozyme electrophoresis of naturally pollinated progeny arrays. For mating analyses, plants sampled were classified into four neighbourhood groups (from high to low) based on the local density around them and the distance to their nearest neighbour. The pollen pool was much more genetically heterogeneous among mother plants (~21%) than among sites (~2%), probably because of the high levels of selfing found (average s = 0.65). Outcrossing rates differed significantly among neighbourhood groups and showed a marked trend towards higher values from the lowest (t m = 0.26) to the highest (t m = 0.45) degree of conspecific aggregation. However, the lowest levels of biparental inbreeding and correlated paternity were found in the most isolated group of plants, indicating that these plants crossed with more and less genetically related fathers. Our study provides a clear demonstration of positive correlation between conspecific aggregation and the outcrossing rates. We discuss the ecological implications of these results in the context of Mediterranean ecosystems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albaladejo RG, Fernández J, Aparicio A, Fernández L, González-Varo JP (2008) Population genetics of myrtle Myrtus communis in a chronic fragmented landscape: can gene flow counteract anthropic disturbance? Plant Biol (in press)

  • Aparicio A (2008) Descriptive analysis of the ‘relictual’ Mediterranean landscape in the Guadalquivir River valley (southern Spain): a baseline for scientific research and the development of conservation action plans. Biodivers Conserv 17:2219–2232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett SCH, Harder LD (1996) Ecology and evolution of plant mating. Trends Ecol Evol 11:73–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charnov EL (1976) Optimal foraging, the marginal value theorem. Theor Popul Biol 9:129–136

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duminil J, Fineschi S, Hampe A, Jordano P, Salvini D, Vendramin GG et al (2007) Can population genetic structure be predicted from life-history traits? Am Nat 169:662–672

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández-Manjarrés JF, Idol J, Sork VL (2006) Mating patterns of black oak Quercus velutina (Fagaceae) in a Missouri oak-hickory forest. J Hered 97:451–455

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Franceschinelli EV, Bawa KS (2000) The effect of ecological factors on the mating system of a South American shrub species (Helicteres brevispira). Heredity 84:116–123

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • García C, Arroyo JM, Godoy JA, Jordano P (2005) Mating patterns, pollen dispersal and the ecological maternal neighbourhood in a Prunus mahaleb (L.) population. Mol Ecol 14:1821–1830

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodwillie C, Kalisz S, Eckert CG (2005) The evolutionary enigma of mixed mating systems in plants: occurrence, theoretical explanations, and empirical evidence. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 36:47–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grove AT, Rackham O (2001) The nature of Mediterranean Europe: an ecological history. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamrick JL, Godt MJW (1996) Effects of life history traits on genetic diversity in plant species. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 351:1291–1298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrera CM (1992) Historical effects and sorting processes as explanations for contemporary ecological patterns: character and syndromes in Mediterranean woody plants. Am Nat 140:421–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgins KA, Barrett SCH (2006) Mating patterns and demography in the tristylous daffodil Narcissus triandrus. Heredity 96:262–270

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Husband BC, Schemske DW (1996) Evolution of the magnitude and timing of inbreeding depression in plants. Evolution 50:54–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ivey CT, Wyatt R (1999) Family outcrossing rates and neighbourhood floral density in natural populations of swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata): potential statistical artefacts. Theor Appl Genet 98:1063–1071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jordano P, Godoy JA (2002) Frugivore-generated seed shadows: a landscape view of demographic and genetics effects. In: Levey DJ, Silva WR, Galetti M (eds) Seed dispersal and frugivory: ecology, evolution and conservation. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, pp 305–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalisz S, Vogler DW, Hanley KM (2004) Context-dependent autonomous self-fertilization yields reproductive assurance and mixed mating. Nature 430:884–887

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kunin WE (1997) Population size and density effects in pollination: pollinator foraging and plant reproductive success in experimental arrays of Brassica kaber. J Ecol 85:225–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levin DA, Kerster HW (1969) Dependence of bee-mediated pollen and gene dispersal upon plant density. Evolution 23:560–571

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulas M, Fadda A (2004) First observations on biology and organ morphology of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) flower. Agric Mediterr 134:223–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Murawski DA, Hamrick JL (1992) The mating system of Cavanillesia platanifolia under extremes of flowering-tree density: a test of predictions. Biotropica 24:99–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neal PR, Anderson GJ (2005) Are ‘mating systems’ ‘breeding systems’ of inconsistent and confusing terminology in plant reproductive biology? Or is it the other way around? Plant Syst Evol 250:173–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connell LM, Mosseler A, Rajora OP (2006) Impacts of forest fragmentation on the mating system and genetic diversity of white spruce (Picea glauca) at the landscape level. Heredity 97:418–426

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oddou-Muratorio S, Klein EK, Demesure-Musch B, Austerlitz F (2006) Real-time patterns of pollen flow in the wild-service tree, Sorbus torminalis (Rosaceae). III. Mating patterns and the ecological maternal neighbourhood. Am J Bot 93:1650–1659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peakall R, Smouse PE (2006) Genalex 6: genetic analysis in excel. Population genetic software for teaching and research. Mol Ecol Notes 6:288–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritland K (2002) Extensions of models for the estimation of mating systems using n independent loci. Heredity 88:221–228

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Robledo-Arnuncio JJ, Gil L (2005) Patterns of pollen dispersal in a small population of Pinus sylvestris L. revealed by total-exclusion paternity analysis. Heredity 94:12–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt-Adam G, Young AG, Murray BG (2000) Low outcrossing rates and shift in pollinators in New Zealand pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa; Myrtaceae). Am J Bot 87:1265–1271

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Soltis DE, Haufler CH, Darrow DC, Gastony GE (1983) Starch gel electrophoresis of ferns: a compilation of grinding buffers, gel and electrode buffers and standing schedules. Am Fern J 73:9–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sork VL, Nason J, Campbell DR, Fernández JF (1999) Landscape approaches to historical and contemporary gene flow in plants. Trends Ecol Evol 14:219–224

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stacy EA, Hamrick JL, Nason JD, Hubbell SP, Foster RB, Condit R (1996) Pollen dispersal in low-density populations of three neotropical tree species. Am Nat 148:275–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Traveset A, Riera N, Mas R (2001) Ecology of fruit-colour polymorphism in Myrtus communis and differential effects of birds and mammals on seed germination and seedling growth. J Ecol 89:749–760

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Treuren R, Bulsma R, Ouborg NJ, van Delden (1993) The effects of population size and plant density on outcrossing rates in locally endangered Salvia pratensis. Evolution 47:1094–1104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vekemans X, Hardy OJ (2004) New insights from fine-scale spatial genetic structure analyses in plant populations. Mol Ecol 13:921–935

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vogler DW, Kalisz S (2001) Sex among the flowers: the distribution of plant mating systems. Evolution 55:202–204

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ward M, Dick CW, Gribel R, Lowe AJ (2005) To self, or not to self. A review of outcrossing and pollen-mediated gene flow in neotropical trees. Heredity 95:246–254

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wendel JF, Weeden NF (1989) Visualization and interpretation of plant isozymes. In: Soltis DE, Soltis PS (eds) Isozimes in plant biology. Dioscorides Press, Portland, Oregon, USA, pp 5–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Werth CR (1975) Implementing an isozyme laboratory at a field station. Virg J Sci 36:53–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Yates CJ, Coates DJ, Elliott C, Byrne M (2006) Composition of the pollinator community, pollination and the mating system for a shrub in fragments of species rich kwongan in south-west Western Australia. Biodivers Conserv 16:1379–1395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (1999) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall International, New Jersey, USA

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Silvia Otero and Laura F. Carrillo for their help with the fieldwork and electrophoresis, respectively. Sebastien Lavergne provided useful discussion of ideas. Cristina García and Juan Arroyo critically reviewed an earlier version of this manuscript. The helpful comments by Andrew Lowe and an anonymous reviewer significantly improved the manuscript. This work has been financially supported by the Fundación Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (FBBVA), the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (CGL2004-00022BOS) and the Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa (Junta de Andalucía) (Proyecto de Excelencia P06-RNM-01499).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Sevilla, C/Profesor García González n 2, 41012, Seville, Spain

    Juan P. González-Varo, Rafael G. Albaladejo & Abelardo Aparicio

Authors
  1. Juan P. González-Varo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rafael G. Albaladejo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Abelardo Aparicio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juan P. González-Varo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

González-Varo, J.P., Albaladejo, R.G. & Aparicio, A. Mating patterns and spatial distribution of conspecific neighbours in the Mediterranean shrub Myrtus communis (Myrtaceae). Plant Ecol 203, 207–215 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-008-9534-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-008-9534-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation