Reproductive isolation mechanisms among four closely-related species of Conospermum (Proteaceae)

Morrison, DA

doi:10.1006/bojl.1994.1050

Cited by 8 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…This is similar to other observations on eastern Australian species C. taxifolium, C. ericifolium, C. ellipticum and C. longifolium where no self-pollination occurred when pollinators were excluded (Morrison et al 1994). The genetic analysis for C. eatoniae showed that fertilisation with self-pollen did occur at the field station.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…This causes the anthers to dehisce explosively, releasing the pollen in a single dusty mass. The moist cup-shaped stigma is forced down onto the pollinator and picks up pollen carried by the insect (Carolin 1961;Morrison et al 1994;Bennett 1995a). Houston (1989) identified a distinct species-group of small bees (5-9 mm long) that were collected only from white-flowered Conospermum.…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incompatibility may be the cause of low fruit : flower ratios in blue-flowered Conospermum; however, this has not been investigated. Morrison et al (1994) reported up to 56% of flowers formed fruit in C. ericifolium, an Eastern Australian white-flowered species; however, no comparable data are available for blueflowered species. The presence of incompatibility systems can be deduced from observation of pollen-tube growth in the style, and of seed set from hand-pollination of flowers with self-and cross-pollen.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The presence of incompatibility systems can be deduced from observation of pollen-tube growth in the style, and of seed set from hand-pollination of flowers with self-and cross-pollen. A study of seed set after hand-pollinations of four Eastern Australian white-flowered Conospermum species showed that cross-pollination was successful within populations and also between species, with some hybrid seed germinating and surviving to maturity (Morrison et al 1994). Flowers were unable to set seed when pollinators were excluded.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A study of the reproductive biology of blue-flowered Conospermum species (Proteaceae)

Stone

Seaton

Byrne³

et al. 2006

Aust. J. Bot.

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Blue-flowered Conospermum species are endemic to Western Australia, and are highly sought after in the horticulture industry. Aspects of the reproductive biology of several species were investigated. The paniculate inflorescences of Conospermum eatoniae E.Pritz. contain 6-10 florets; however, the uppermost two or three florets never open and only the basal one or two florets in an inflorescence set seed. When insect pollinators are excluded, flowers do not self-pollinate and set seed. Stigma receptivity occurred for up to 6 days following triggering of the style and was variable between C. eatoniae, C. amoenum Meisn. subsp. amoenum, C. caeruleum R.Br. and C. brownii Meisn. Hand-pollination with 10 pollen genotypes and two maternal C. eatoniae parents showed that although pollen tubes were observed in the style, no seed was set. Genetic analysis of open-set seed progeny showed that C. eatoniae outcrossed infrequently when grown in clonal rows in a plantation, but outcrossing was common in wild plants. This study demonstrates that the reproductive biology of blue-flowered Conospermum is complex and requires further investigation if the species are to be widely cultivated for horticulture.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A study of the reproductive biology of blue-flowered Conospermum species (Proteaceae)

Stone

Seaton

Byrne³

et al. 2006

Aust. J. Bot.

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“…However, many genera of Proteaceae exhibit self-incompatibility systems and evidence of selective fruit development (Goldingay & Carthew, 1998;Vaughton & Carthew, 1993). Accordingly, C. undulatum is considered to be a self-incompatible species (Goldingay & Carthew, 1998;Morrison, McDonald, Bankoff, & Quirico, 1994), and this would reduce the reproductive assurance of geitonogamy, especially in small fragments. However, the reproductive biology of this species has not been studied in detail as yet, and there is a need to understand the reproductive responses of this rare plant in a highly fragmented landscape to inform future conservation efforts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Floral display and habitat fragmentation: Effects on the reproductive success of the threatened mass‐flowering Conospermum undulatum (Proteaceae)

Delnevo

Etten

Byrne³

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Fragmentation of natural vegetation is currently one of the largest threats to plant populations and their interactions with pollinators. Plant reproductive susceptibility to habitat fragmentation has been investigated in many species; however, the response of wild mass‐flowering species is poorly known, with research limited to mainly boreal plant species. Here, we studied twelve remnant populations of the threatened mass‐flowering shrub Conospermum undulatum in the southwest Australian biodiversity hotspot, each presenting different population size, level of isolation, and floral display. We assessed the impact of fragmentation on (a) fruit and seed production; and (b) seed germination. To gain a deeper understanding of factors influencing the reproductive success of C. undulatum, we performed pollinator exclusion and self‐pollination treatments to experimentally assess the mating system of this threatened shrub. We found C. undulatum to be strictly self‐incompatible and totally reliant on pollinators visiting with an outcrossed pollen load to complete the reproductive cycle. Further, we found that fruit production dropped from 35% to <20% as a result of decreasing floral display. A reduction in population size from 880 to 5 plants and from ~700 to 0.21 in the floral display index led to a decrease in seed output, while a similar reduction in seed output, from 6% to 3%, was observed as a result of increasing isolation index from −21.41 to −0.04. Overall, seed germination was positively related to population size, and a negative relationship was found between germination and isolation. Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate the important relationship between pollinators and floral morphology in plants of southwest Australia that have coevolved with native pollinators and developed characteristic flower morphologies over long time frames. Indeed, due to its characteristic pollination mechanism, the self‐incompatible C. undulatum can only rely on specialized native pollinators for pollen flow and cannot rely on its mass‐flowering trait to attract generalist pollinators from coflowering species; neither can it compensate for the lack of visitors by promoting geitonogamy. Consequently, fragmentation has a significant effect on the reproductive output of C. undulatum, and size, isolation, and floral display of populations are important factors to be considered when planning conservation actions for the species.

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Morphological and molecular variation in Conospermum triplinervium (Proteaceae), the tree smokebush: implications for bushland restoration

et al. 2008

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Ecological restoration benefits from information on population genetic structure and variation within a species to make informed decisions on where to source material of the local genetic provenance. Conospermum triplinervium is extremely rare in Bold Park, a large bushland remnant currently undergoing restoration in Perth, Western Australia. We sampled plants from Bold Park and six other native populations across the northern half of the species’ range to assess patterns of morphological and genetic variation. There was considerable variation across six leaf measures with significant differentiation among some populations. The molecular data showed a high level of population structure (ΘB = 0.4974), with varying degrees of spatial overlap among populations in an ordination plot. Significant differentiation was observed among all pairs of populations, except for Bold Park and its geographically closest populations at Kings Park and Neerabup. These two populations had greater genetic variation (50.9% and 54.5% polymorphic markers, respectively) than did that at Bold Park (20.2%). The small Bold Park population would benefit from augmentation (via cuttings) from local plants. However, in the longer term, should the Bold Park population show evidence of declining viability, then material should be sourced from the genetically similar Kings Park population to increase genetic variation whilst also maintaining genetic integrity.

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Reproductive isolation mechanisms among four closely-related species of Conospermum (Proteaceae)

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

A study of the reproductive biology of blue-flowered Conospermum species (Proteaceae)

A study of the reproductive biology of blue-flowered Conospermum species (Proteaceae)

Floral display and habitat fragmentation: Effects on the reproductive success of the threatened mass‐flowering Conospermum undulatum (Proteaceae)

Morphological and molecular variation in Conospermum triplinervium (Proteaceae), the tree smokebush: implications for bushland restoration

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