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Patterns of multiple paternity in fruits of Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae)¹

²Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325-3908 USA; ³Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 413, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201 USA

ABSTRACT

Multiply sired fruits provide unambiguous evidence that pollen from two or more donors was deposited on a stigma and successfully fertilized ovules. Such multiple paternity within fruits can have important consequences for both parental and offspring fitness, but little is known about the frequency of multiple paternity or the mechanisms causing it. In this study we quantify the extent of multiple paternity in replicate experimental arrays of Mimulus ringens (square-stem monkeyflower) and use observations of pollinator behavior to infer mechanisms generating multiply sired fruits. In each array, floral displays were trimmed to two, four, eight, or 16 flowers per plant to span the range of display sizes observed in nature. In our sample of 204 fruits, more than 95% had two or more outcross pollen donors. The number of sires per fruit averaged 4.63 ± 0.10 (mean ± 1 SE), including selfs, and did not vary significantly with floral display treatment. Patterns of bumble bee foraging, combined with limited pollen carryover, suggest that observed levels of multiple paternity cannot be fully explained by single probes that deposited mixed pollen loads. Multiple probes to flowers, each delivering pollen from 1–3 different sires, are more likely to have caused the observed patterns. These sequential visits may reduce the potential for pollen competition and female choice based on pollen tube growth rate.

Key Words: Bombus • monkeyflower • multiple paternity • multiply sired fruits • paternity analysis • pollen carryover • pollination

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. F. Williams Effects of floral display size and biparental inbreeding on outcrossing rates in Delphinium barbeyi (Ranunculaceae) Am. J. Botany, October 1, 2007; 94(10): 1696 - 1705. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Karron, R. J. Mitchell, and J. M. Bell Multiple pollinator visits to Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae) flowers increase mate number and seed set within fruits Am. J. Botany, September 1, 2006; 93(9): 1306 - 1312. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]