Stylish lengths: Mate choice in flowers

Journal of biosciences

M D Yetish¹  G Ravikanth³  R Uma Shaanker1 2 4¹  B T Ramesha¹  K N Ganeshaiah3²  Jaboury Ghazoul⁴ 

[1] Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560 065, India$$;Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560 065, India$$;School of Ecology and Conservation, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore 560 065, India$$;Department of Ecosystem Management, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich 8092, Switzerland$$

关键词: Flowers;    mate choice;    outcrossed;    skewness;    style lengths;   

DOI  :  

来源: Indian Academy of Sciences

【 摘 要 】

The styles of flowers may represent an arena for pollen competition in the race to fertilize ovules. Accordingly, selection should favour a longer ‘race’ to better discriminate among variable pollen by increasing style length. Sampling across a taxonomically diverse range of wild and outcrossed species, we found that the distribution of style lengths within plants were skewed towards longer styles, as predicted. In self-pollinated domesticated species, where discrimination among pollen is less important, we found no such pattern. We conclude that style length is under directional selection towards longer styles as a mechanism for mate choice among pollen of variable quality.

【 授权许可】

Unknown