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The avoidance of self-interference in the endemic daffodil Narcissus cyclamineus (Amaryllidaceae)

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Abstract

Hermaphrodite flowers usually possess floral traits to avoid the negative effects derived from inbreeding depression and/or self-interference between pollen export and reception, both acting as the main selective pressures on those floral traits. The avoidance of self-interference is widely accepted as the primary force promoting the separation between sexes within the flowers in time (dichogamy) and/or space (herkogamy) for self-incompatible species, which are already protected from the negative effects of inbreeding depression by the incompatibility system. Different degrees of incompatibility, herkogamy, and dichogamy have been reported for the genus Narcissus. However, the only mechanism for the separation of sexes reported up to date for Narcissus cyclamineus is herkogamy, while the presence of dichogamy and the type of incompatibility in this species remain uncertain. In this study, we analyze the patterns of sexual reproduction in N. cyclamineus to ascertain whether there is any selective pressure favouring sexual segregation or its maintenance and their mechanisms. N. cyclamineus is self-incompatible and dichogamy can be rejected for this species. Even though the species is self-incompatible, when cross-pollination is preceded by self-pollination the number of ovules available for legitimate crosses is diminished (ovule discounting). Pollinators are scarce during the flowering period, resulting in pollen limitation. It is suggested that both the scarcity of pollinators and ovule discounting may be acting synergically to promote herkogamy or its maintenance in this species.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Bibiana Molinos, Angel Vale, Silvia Castro for helping in fieldwork, and Danny Rojas, Juan Arroyo, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on the first draft of the manuscript. JM Matías gave us valuable statistical advice, and S. Troncoso helped us to improve the language style. The Fundación Ramón Areces supported Victoria Ferrero with a PostDoc fellowship. This research was partially supported by the Spanish DGICYT (CGL2009-10466), FEDER funds from the European Union, CYTED (409AC0369), and Xunta de Galicia (INCITE09-3103009PR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Facultad de Biología, Campus As Lagoas-Marcosende, Universidad de Vigo, 36200, Vigo, Spain

    Luis Navarro, Garbiñe Ayensa, Victoria Ferrero & José María Sánchez

  2. CFE, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, PO Box 3046, 3001-401, Coimbra, Portugal

    Victoria Ferrero

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  1. Luis Navarro
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  2. Garbiñe Ayensa
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  3. Victoria Ferrero
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  4. José María Sánchez
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Correspondence to José María Sánchez.

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Navarro, L., Ayensa, G., Ferrero, V. et al. The avoidance of self-interference in the endemic daffodil Narcissus cyclamineus (Amaryllidaceae). Plant Ecol 213, 1813–1822 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-012-0137-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-012-0137-y

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