Search

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Populations of heterostylous species are characterized by two or three floral morphs with reciprocal positioning of stigmas and anthers. Theoretical models predict equal morph frequencies (isoplethy) when disassortative mating is prevalent in populations, but biased morph ratios may occur when variation in the expression of heterostyly causes deviations from intermorph mating. METHODS: We explore the role of sex-organ deployment in governing morph ratios in two closely related genera of Boraginaceae, exhibiting striking variation in floral traits associated with the heterostylous syndrome. We sampled 66 populations of six species of Glandora and 39 populations of three species of Lithodora across their distributional range in the Mediterranean. In each population we estimated morph ratios and measured several floral traits. We used phylogenetically corrected and noncorrected regressions to test the hypothesis that differences in sex-organ reciprocity and herkogamy are associated with deviations from isoplethy. KEY RESULTS: Biased morph ratios occurred in 24% of populations, particularly in Lithodora. Populations biased for the long-styled morph (L-morph) were more frequent than the short-styled morph (S-morph). Distylous species were less likely to exhibit biased ratios than species with stigma-height dimorphism. In Lithodora fruticosa, a species lacking reciprocity, decreased herkogamy in the S-morph was associated with increasing L-morph bias, perhaps resulting from self-interference. CONCLUSION: Striking variation in the expression of heterostyly in Glandora and Lithodora is associated with biased morph ratios, which probably result from pollinator-mediated mating asymmetries within populations. Xunta de Galicia PGIDT04PXIC31003PN

Interest in reciprocal floral polymorphisms, such as heterostyly, has increased in recent decades because they can be used as suitable model systems to study mechanisms of outbreeding and disassortative mating in plants. Heterostylous plants are characterised by the presence of discrete morphs that differ in sex organ position and in some other ancillary traits. As regards sex organ deployment, different types of polymorphisms have been described, depending on number and type of discrete classes present in populations and degree of reciprocity between them. However, a clear-cut characterisation of stylar polymorphisms does not appear to be the best approach when there is great variability among populations because of continuous variation of some of traits examined. A recent study in Lithodora sensu lato (recently split into two separate genera, Lithodora and Glandora) showed a wide variation in sex organ position across species in the genus, which warrants precise population analysis of stylar polymorphism and its reciprocity. We provide a detailed morphometric analysis of flower sexual traits and include those considered to be ancillary characters. We report a wide variation in these traits in populations of Lithodora s.l. and highlight the subjectivity of the former characterisation of style polymorphism based on visual inspection. Ancillary traits appear repeatedly in Lithodora and Glandora, particularly in the latter. The appearance of these traits seems to be related to greater reciprocity between sexual whorls in Glandora, with the exception of G. prostrata. These results agree with evolutionary steps proposed in the build-up of heterostyly according to some evolutionary models. We also examined variation in polymorphisms in light of current models for evolution of heterostyly, and, more specifically, we sought to verify the prediction that flower traits as a whole (i.e., flower integration) respond to selective pressure to assure the exact location of pollen on the pollinator body. Most reciprocal populations and species, where between-morph pollen transfer is expected to be higher, would show greater integration. Our results confirm this hypothesis.

According to Darwin, the reciprocal position of sexual whorls in heterostylous plants enhances disassortative pollen transfer between different floral morphs. It is believed that greater reciprocity between morphs will promote more efficient transfer of pollen. Additionally, efficient pollination will act as a selective force in achieving greater reciprocity between floral morphs. In this study we test whether variation in reciprocity of sexual organs between morphs is related to the efficiency of pollinators in transferring pollen between them. To do this, we first describe the pollinator’s array in several populations of species of the genus formerly known as Lithodora, which have different types of stylar polymorphism and degrees of reciprocity, and determine their abundance, plant visitation rate, number of flowers visited per plant and handling time in the population. We estimate the efficiency of the pollinator arrays by use of an approximation based on qualitative (location of pollen loads on different areas of insect bodies) and quantitative (plant visitation rate) measurements. Our results show a correlation between the degree of reciprocity and the efficiency of pollinators associated with the populations. These observations suggest that pollinators are a possible selective force driving the evolution of heterostyly.

The results of a comparative survey on pollen morphology in theBoragineae by means of light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy are presented and discussed in relation to the taxonomy of the tribe. Multivariate analyses lead to the recognition of 15 pollen morphotypes for which a discriminant key is proposed. The discriminatory characters concern mainly the stereostructural and ultrastructural features of the grains, such as tectum sculpture and aperture morphology, while the number of apertures appears variable within genera and even single species. Seven out of the 12 investigated genera, as currently circumscribed, are matched by palynological data:Anchusella, Borago, Brunnera, Elizaldia, Lithodora, Symphytum andTrachystemon. On account of aperture shape,Lithodora is however closer to theLithospermeae than to theBoragineae. Other genera, and in particularNonea, show a wide variation in tectum ornamentation, shape of grains and number of apertures. Palynological data do not support a broad concept of the genusAnchusa, and point to the autonomy of the ‘satellite’ generaHormuzakia, Gastrocotyle, Phyllocara, Pentaglottis andCynoglottis.

Resumen de Tesis Doctoral. Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ciencias del Suelo de la Universidad de Vigo. Octubre 2009. Dirección: Luis Navarro y Juan Arroyo.

Lithospermum fruticosum Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 1: 133. 1753. "Habitat in Gallia, Samo & Europa australi." RCN: 1073. Lectotype (Turland in Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. London, Bot. 25: 138, f. 11. 1995): Herb. Linn. No. 181.9 (LINN). Current name: Lithodora fruticosa (L.) Griseb. (Boraginaceae)., Published as part of Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part L), pp. 610-650 in Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London :Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum on page 637, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.291971

LUQUE, T. & VALDES, B., 1984. Karyological studies on Spanish Boraginaceae: Lithospenum L. sensu lato. All of the Spanish taxa of Lithospermum L. sensu lato (Lithospermum sensu stricto, Neatostema, Buglossoides and Lithodora), with the exception of Buglossoides gartonii (Bentham) I. M. Johnston, have been studied karyologically. The karyological characters allow the separation of three groups which do not correspond exactly with the morphological limits of the four genera actually recognized for Spain within Lithospermum sensu lato. Se estudian cariologicamente los taxones espanoles de Lithospermum L. sensu lato (Lithospennum sensu stricto, Neatostema, Buglossoides y Lithodora), salvo Buglossoides gastonii (Bentham) I. M. Johnston. Por los caracteres cariologicos se pueden separar tres grupos cuyos limites no coinciden exactamente con los de los cuatro generos actualrnente reconocidos para Espana dentro de Lithospcnum sensu lato.