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Abstract Detail



Reproductive Processes

Karron, Jeffrey [1], Christopher, Dorothy [2], Mitchell, Randall [3], Semski, Wendy [4], Smallwood, Patrick Alan [5], Trapnell, Dorset [6].

Variation in male and female fitness, a test of Bateman's principle.

Variation in male fitness is fundamental to models of reproductive trait evolution, yet is rarely quantified in flowering plants.  Bateman (1948) hypothesized that male fitness variation will often exceed female fitness variation since it is usually limited by mating opportunities, rather than by resources.  Although Bateman's principle has largely been studied in dioecious animals, Bateman hypothesized that it could be extended to hermaphroditic flowering plants.  Here we quantify male and female reproductive success and mate diversity to test Bateman's two key predictions: 1) Variance in male reproductive success should be greater than variance in female reproductive success.  2) The number of independent mating events should have a greater effect on male reproductive success than on female reproductive success.  We established an experimental population of 49 Mimulus ringens (monkeyflower) plants, each trimmed to a single flower.  Flowers of this species only last for a single morning, and are pollinated by wild bees.  To control for position effects, we re-randomized plant positions each day of the experiment.  Male parentage was successfully assigned to 98% of the sampled seeds.  As Bateman predicted, male reproductive success in monkeyflower is highly variable and is strongly correlated with mate number (a positive Bateman gradient).  By contrast, female reproductive success is less variable and is not associated with mate number.


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1 - University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department Of Biological Sciences, Po Box 413, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, United States
2 - University Of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Dept Of Biological Sciences, 3209 N Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53211, United States
3 - University Of Akron, Department Of Biology, Dept Of Biology, Akron, OH, 44325, United States
4 - UW-Milwaukee, Dept Of Bio Sci, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, United States
5 - University of Georgia, Plant Sciences
6 - University Of Georgia, Plant Biology, 2502 Miller Plant Sci Bldg, Athens, GA, 30602, United States

Keywords:
pollination
plant reproduction
monkeyflower
mate diversity
paternity
gene dispersal.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: RP1, Reproductive Processes 1
Location: /
Date: Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
Time: 11:00 AM(EDT)
Number: RP1005
Abstract ID:63
Candidate for Awards:None


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