Aim\ud \ud We studied global variation in beta diversity patterns of lake macrophytes using regional data from across the world. Specifically, we examined (1) how beta diversity of aquatic macrophytes is partitioned between species turnover and nestedness within each study region, and (2) which environmental characteristics structure variation in these beta diversity components.\ud Location\ud \ud Global.\ud Methods\ud \ud We used presence–absence data for aquatic macrophytes from 21 regions distributed around the world. We calculated pairwise-site and multiple-site beta diversity among lakes within each region using Sørensen dissimilarity index and partitioned it into turnover and nestedness coefficients. Beta regression was used to correlate the diversity coefficients with regional environmental characteristics.\ud Results\ud \ud Aquatic macrophytes showed different levels of beta diversity within each of the 21 study regions, with species turnover typically accounting for the majority of beta diversity, especially in high-diversity regions. However, nestedness contributed 30–50% of total variation in macrophyte beta diversity in low-diversity regions. The most important environmental factor explaining the three beta diversity coefficients (total, species turnover and nestedness) was elevation range, followed by relative areal extent of freshwater, latitude and water alkalinity range.\ud Main conclusions\ud \ud Our findings show that global patterns in beta diversity of lake macrophytes are caused by species turnover rather than by nestedness. These patterns in beta diversity were driven by natural environmental heterogeneity, notably variability in elevation range (also related to temperature variation) among regions. In addition, a greater range in alkalinity within a region, likely amplified by human activities, was also correlated with increased macrophyte beta diversity. These findings suggest that efforts to conserve aquatic macrophyte diversity should primarily focus on regions with large numbers of lakes that exhibit broad environmental gradients

Summary 1.In order to reveal the direction and magnitude of phenotypic selection on the stigma height of heterostylous morphs in a natural population of Primula sieboldii E. Morren (Primulaceae), morphological traits including stigma and anther heights, flowering phenology, local density of potential mating partners, size of ramet, number of pollen grains deposited from the opposite morph and seed set were measured in two flowering seasons. 2. Both components of female reproductive success, pollen receipt and seed set, were significantly larger in the long-styled than in the short-styled morph in both years. 3. Selection analyses based on bivariate correlation and path-analysis models revealed positive relationships between stigma height and pollination or seed set in the short-styled morph only, although the effect was statistically significant only in one year. In contrast, seed set in the long-styled morph was correlated with ramet size. 4. Morph difference in reproductive success and the natural selection revealed for higher stigmas in the short-styled morph should be ascribed to the narrow corolla tube of the species that strictly restrict the path of the proboscis of the pollinators.

Flower‐visiting insects, the distribution of pollen on an insect's body, and fruit and seed sets of Primula sieboldiiE. Morren were investigated in a maritime deciduous forest habitat of the Hidaka region in Hokkaido. Queens of Bombus diversus tersatus Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Bombus schrencki albidopleuralis Skorikov, and Bombus deuteronymus deuteronymus Schulz were observed to visit the flowers of the species. Bumblebee claw marks were found on the flower petals of 68% of the flowering ramets of the species. Scanning‐electronmicroscopy revealed that pin and thrum pollens of P. sieboldii were deposited in different positions along the proboscis of a B. diversus tersatus queen (n=38400 grains). On the glossa, all the observed pollen was of the pin type, while more than half of the pollen grains observed on the upper part of the proboscis, galea, stipes, and maxillary palpus were of the thrum type. In the field, high fruit and seed sets were recorded for both pin and thrum morphs, indicating the occurrence of sufficient legitimate pollination during the flowering season. In addition to the effectiveness of queen bumblebees as pollinators for P. sieboldii suggested in this study, phenological and morphological matches, i.e., early spring flowering during the queen bee emergence season and the similar lengths of the corolla tube and the bee proboscis, also support the inference that queen bumble bees play an important role in legitimate pollination of P. sieboldii.

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