The divergence history of the perennial plant Linaria cavanillesii confirms a recent loss of self-incompatibility

Evolution of selfing syndrome and its influence on genetic diversity and inbreeding: A range-wide study in Oenothera primiveris

PREMISE

To avoid inbreeding depression, plants have evolved diverse breeding systems to favor outcrossing, such as self-incompatibility. However, changes in biotic and abiotic conditions can result in selective pressures that lead to a breakdown in self-incompatibility. The shift to increased selfing is commonly associated with reduced floral features, lower attractiveness to pollinators, and increased inbreeding. We tested the hypothesis that the loss of self-incompatibility, a shift to self-fertilization (autogamy), and concomitant evolution of the selfing syndrome (reduction in floral traits associated with cross-fertilization) will lead to increased inbreeding and population differentiation in Oenothera primiveris. Across its range, this species exhibits a shift in its breeding system and floral traits from a self-incompatible population with large flowers to self-compatible populations with smaller flowers.

METHODS

We conducted a breeding system assessment, evaluated floral traits in the field and under controlled conditions, and measured population genetic parameters using RADseq data.

RESULTS

Our results reveal a bimodal transition to the selfing syndrome from the west to the east of the range of O. primiveris. This shift includes variation in the breeding system and the mating system, a reduction in floral traits (flower diameter, herkogamy, and scent production), a shift to greater autogamy, reduced genetic diversity, and increased inbreeding.

CONCLUSIONS

The observed variation highlights the importance of range-wide studies to understand breeding system variation and the evolution of the selfing syndrome within populations and species.

Genome-wide genotyping estimates mating system parameters and paternity in the island species Tolpis succulenta

PREMISE

The mating system has profound consequences, not only for ecology and evolution, but also for the conservation of threatened or endangered species. Unfortunately, small populations are difficult to study owing to limits on sample size and genetic marker diversity. Here, we estimated mating system parameters in three small populations of an island plant using genomic genotyping. Although self-incompatible (SI) species are known to often set some self-seed, little is known about how "leaky SI" affects selfing rates in nature or the role that multiple paternity plays in small populations.

METHODS

We generalized the BORICE mating system program to determine the siring pattern within maternal families. We applied this algorithm to maternal families from three populations of Tolpis succulenta from Madeira Island and genotyped the progeny using RADseq. We applied BORICE to estimate each individual offspring as outcrossed or selfed, the paternity of each outcrossed offspring, and the level of inbreeding of each maternal plant.

RESULTS

Despite a functional self-incompatibility system, these data establish T. succulenta as a pseudo-self-compatible (PSC) species. Two of 75 offspring were strongly indicated as products of self-fertilization. Despite selfing, all adult maternal plants were fully outbred. There was high differentiation among and low variation within populations, consistent with a history of genetic isolation of these small populations. There were generally multiple sires per maternal family. Twenty-two percent of sib contrasts (between outcrossed offspring within maternal families) shared the same sire.

CONCLUSIONS

Genome-wide genotyping, combined with appropriate analytical methods, enables estimation of mating system and multiple paternity in small populations. These data address questions about the evolution of reproductive traits and the conservation of threatened populations.

Rapid loss of self-incompatibility in experimental populations of the perennial outcrossing plant Linaria cavanillesii

Transitions from self-incompatibility to self-compatibility in angiosperms may be frequently driven by selection for reproductive assurance when mates or pollinators are rare, and are often succeeded by loss of inbreeding depression by purging. Here, we use experimental evolution to investigate the spread of self-compatibility from one such population of the perennial plant Linaria cavanillesii into self-incompatible (SI) populations that still have high inbreeding depression. We introduced self-compatible (SC) individuals at different frequencies into replicate experimental populations of L. cavanillesii that varied in access to pollinators. Our experiment revealed a rapid shift to self-compatibility in all replicates, driven by both greater seed set and greater outcross siring success of SC individuals. We discuss our results in the light of computer simulations that confirm the tendency of self-compatibility to spread into SI populations under the observed conditions. Our study illustrates the ease with which self-compatibility can spread among populations, a requisite for species-wide transitions from self-incompatibility to self-compatibility.