Microscale variations in the mating system and heterospecific incompatibility mediated by pollination competition in alpine snowbed plants

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of pollination competition between related species on pollen limitation, selfing ability and heterospecific incompatibility were studied in the alpine snowbed shrubs, Phyllodoce caerulea and Phyllodoce aleutica (Ericaceae) along local snowmelt gradients. The flowering season of these species highly overlapped and they shared the same method of pollination (via bumblebees). The floral density and nectar production were higher in P. caerulea in the early snowmelt habitat, but they were higher in P. aleutica in the late snowmelt habitat, reflecting the species‐specific sensitivity to a short growing season. Bumblebee preference shifted from P. caerulea to P. aleutica along the snowmelt gradient, reflecting the changes in the relative reward level between the species. The extent of pollen limitation of P. caerulea was severe in the late snowmelt habitat, whereas that of P. aleutica was obvious in the early snowmelt habitat. A pollination experiment revealed that P. caerulea showed a consistently low selfing ability, whereas P. aleutica showed a high selfing ability in the early snowmelt habitat and shifted to an obligate outcrosser in the late snowmelt habitat. The frequency of interspecific bumblebee movement for P. caerulea from P. aleutica increased in the late snowmelt habitat. To the contrary, the frequency of interspecific movement for P. aleutica from P. caerulea decreased along the snowmelt gradient. P. caerulea did not indicate heterospecific incompatibility to P. aleutica pollen. In contrast, P. aleutica indicated heterospecific incompatibility to P. caerulea pollen, reflecting the high risk of receiving heterospecific pollen as a result of interspecific bumblebee movement. However, heterospecific compatibility of P. aleutica disappeared in the late snowmelt habitat, where the risk of heterospecific pollen receipt was low. Therefore, changes in interspecific bumblebee movement might have been responsible for the variation in heterospecific incompatibility among P. aleutica populations. The local snowmelt gradient creates diverse biological interactions and mating system evolution in the alpine ecosystem.