ISSN:
1442-1984
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
The reproductive traits of Astragalus alpinus L. between a subalpine and an alpine population in northern Sweden were compared. This species was physiologically self-incompatible and mainly pollinated by bumblebees. Mean flower size was larger and anthesis was longer in the alpine population than in the subalpine population. There were no significant differences in ovule fertilization rate and seed predation rate per inflorescence between the populations. However, the abortion rate of fertilized ovules was higher in the alpine population, probably because of resource limitation. The difference in seed production per inflorescence was small between the populations. Dense ovule packing within each flower may have compensated for the lower fruit production in the alpine population, where pollinator activity was low. Although the alpine population produced a smaller number of mature seeds per inflorescence, total seed mass per inflorescence did not differ between the populations due to larger seed size in the alpine population. Within an inflorescence, upper flowers had a smaller size, a relatively larger allocation to stamens, lower seed production (for both populations) and higher pollen viability (only for the alpine population) than did lower flowers. Thus, reproductive values through male and female functions may differ among flowers within an inflorescence.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1442-1984.1999.00012.x
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