Flexible mating: cross-pollination affects sex-expression in a marine clonal plant

摘要: Many functionally hermaphroditic plants have evolved mechanisms to reduce interference between the sex functions and optimize reproductive output. In addition physical such as spatial (herkogamy) temporal (dichogamy) separation of male female functions, plasticity in expression by means mate-recognition (flexible mating) could be important with variable access cross-pollen. This applies particularly clonal because their modular growth form. We experimentally tested for effects pollen source vegetative neighbourhood on instantaneous ratio seed production self-compatible marine angiosperm Zostera marina L. To this end, we exposed (monoecious) flowering shoots self cross-pollen neighbourhoods own a mix foreign shoots. Flowering that had been showed (1) significantly lower female/male at peak flowering, evidence mate-recognition, (2) higher set end season. Both were independent genetic composition neighbourhood. The results suggest Z. maintains cryptic self-incompatibility system not previously described angiosperms sub-aqueous pollination. marina, possibly other plant species, increasing out-crossing probability central positions within clone.