Resolution of male-female conflict in an hermaphroditic flower.

Abstract

The flowers of most angiosperm species are hermaphroditic. Spatial separation of male and female organs within a flower (hercogamy) is a common character traditionally interpreted as an adaptation to reduce intrafloral self-fertilization, one potential cost of hermaphroditism. Another possible cost that may lead to selection for hercogamy is physical interference between male and female floral functions. Here, I present evidence demonstrating the role of a floral character in reducing female interference with male function. The bi-lobed stigma of the bush monkeyflower closes after receiving pollen, causing increased spatial separation of the anthers and stigma ('movement' hercogamy). Experimental manipulations show that flowers with closed stigmas export more than twice as much pollen to other flowers as those in which the stigma is prevented from closing. However, stigma closure only minimally reduces the potential for intrafloral self-pollination. This study provides the first experimental evidence that selection to reduce intrafloral male female interference can be a strong selective force and can drive the evolution of floral characters usually interpreted as mechanisms to reduce self-fertilization.