The mating system of Hydrophyllum appendiculatum, a protandrous species

Summary

The mating system of Hydrophyllum appendiculatum (Hydrophyllaceae), a protandrous, self-compatible, monocarpic plant was examined using progeny arrays assayed at three polymorphic allozyme loci. We were particularly interested in the effect of ecological factors on spatial and temporal variation in outcrossing rates. Multilocus estimates of outcrossing rates in three populations ranged from 0.62–0.81 indicating that the majority of seeds are produced via outcrossing. The population estimates did not differ significantly from each other indicating that there is little or no spatial variation in the mating system of this species. The estimates were, however, significantly less than unity, which demonstrates that although mainly outcrossing, a significant fraction of seeds are produced by selfing. Estimates suggested that biparental inbreeding occurred, although it was statistically significant in only one population. Individuals of H. appendiculatum may remain in anthesis 3–4 weeks and produce up to 30 inflorescences. As a result, the possibility exists for the mating system to vary through the flowering season. Although the mean outcrossing rate was highest in the middle of the flowering phenology than at the beginning or end, there was no evidence for statistically significant temporal heterogeneity. We were also interested in determining if the size of the floral display (number of inflorescences produced by a plant) influenced the outcrossing rate. The results obtained by two different statistical analyses were contradictory; there was a significant positive correlation between size of floral display and outcrossing rate, but the outcrossing rates of large plants (\s> 8 inflorescences) did not differ significantly from small plants (> 8 inflorescences).