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Empirical assessment of the reproductive fitness components of the hybrid pine Pinus densata on the Tibetan Plateau

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Abstract

Pinus densata is distributed on the Tibetan Plateau, where it forms extensive forests at high elevations. Genetic studies have provided evidence that P. densata originated through hybridization between P. yunnanensis and P. tabuliformis. To clarify the relationships among these pines, and assess their reproductive fitness in their respective habitats, we conducted a comparative analysis of eight cone and seed morphometric traits and six reproductive traits in them. Among the eight morphometric traits examined, six appeared to be intermediate in P. densata between those of P. yunnanensis and P. tabuliformis. There were significant differences among the three pines in all of the morphometric traits, and P. densata showed greater variability in these traits than the other two pines. In contrast to the morphometric traits, the reproductive traits (including the proportions of filled and empty seeds, ovule abortion rate, seed efficiency, meiotic abnormalities during microsporogenesis and pollen viability) differed little among the three pines, indicating that they have similar overall rates of effective pollination and fertilization in their respective natural environments. Despite their location on the high plateau, natural populations of P. densata appeared to have normal levels of reproductive success, comparable to those of the two parental species in their natural habitats. This study provides empirical data characterizing the reproductive success and adaptation of a stabilized homoploid hybrid in a novel habitat that is ecologically and spatially inaccessible to its parental species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Y. J. Liu (Beijing Forestry University), H. Liu and Q. Duo (Tibet University) and S. G. Zhang (Yunnan Yinmore Biotech. Lab.) for their assistance during field work, and Prof. K. X. Xu (Inst. Botany, CAS) for statistical advice. This study was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 30325006 & 30121003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China

    Jian-Feng Mao & Xiao-Ru Wang

  2. Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Jian-Feng Mao

  3. Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China

    Yue Li

  4. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umea, Sweden

    Xiao-Ru Wang

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  1. Jian-Feng Mao
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  2. Yue Li
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Correspondence to Xiao-Ru Wang.

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Mao, JF., Li, Y. & Wang, XR. Empirical assessment of the reproductive fitness components of the hybrid pine Pinus densata on the Tibetan Plateau. Evol Ecol 23, 447–462 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-008-9244-6

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