EFFECTS OF PARENTAGE AND SIZE OF THE POLLEN LOAD ON PROGENY PERFORMANCE IN CAMPANULA AMERICANA.

Abstract

To examine the effects of maternal and paternal parentage and the size of the pollen load on seed size and weight and on progeny performance we conducted a controlled crossing experiment using a natural population of Campanula americana. We found that seed size was positively correlated with early seedling performance for all but one of traits we measured (days to emergence), but was not significantly correlated with any of the later vegetative measures or reproductive output. We detected significant effects due to the maternal parent for the vegetative traits days to emergence, days to first leaf, and final plant height, as well as total seed weight, and mean seed weight per fruit. Significant paternal effects were found for all of the seedling traits except number of leaves after vernalization. The progeny from fruits receiving high pollen loads significantly outperformed the progeny from fruits receiving low pollen loads for the traits days to first and second leaf, numbers of leaves after vernalization, and days to first flower. These results not only demonstrate the importance of parentage and seed weight on progeny performance, but also indicate that variations in the size of the pollen load may be important in seedling establishment in natural populations.