THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATING-SYSTEM CHARACTERS AND INBREEDING DEPRESSION IN MIMULUS GUTTATUS.

Abstract

Several recent theoretical considerations of mating-system evolution predict within-population covariation between levels of inbreeding depression and genetically controlled mating-system characters. If inbreeding depression is caused by deleterious recessive alleles, families with characters that promote self-pollination should show lower levels of inbreeding depression than families with characters that promote outcrossing. The converse is expected if inbreeding depression is due to overdominant allelic interactions. Whether these associations between mating-system and viability loci evolve will have important consequences for mating-system evolution. The evolution of selfing within the genus Mimulus is associated with a reduction in stigma-anther separation (i.e., a loss of herkogamy) and high autogamous seed set. In this study we compared families from two M. guttatus populations that differed genetically in their degree of stigma-anther separation. In one of these populations we also compared families that differed genetically in the degree to which they autogamously set seed in a pollinator-free greenhouse. Dams often differed significantly in levels of inbreeding depression for aboveground biomass and flower production, but variation in inbreeding depression was never explained by herkogamy class or autogamy class. Several factors might account for why families with traits associated with selfing did not show lower inbreeding depression, and these are discussed. Our study also demonstrated significant variation among self progeny from a given female likely due to differences in pollination date and position of fruit maturation. The detection of significant dam × sire interactions suggests biparental inbreeding or differences in combining ability for specific pairs of parents.