Variation in Outcrossing Rates in Eichhornia paniculata: Temporal Changes in Populations of Contrasting Style Morph Structure

Abstract

Abstract Surveys of mating‐system parameters in populations of the annual, self‐compatible, tristylous, emergent aquatic, Eichhornia paniculata (Pontederiaceae) from N.E. Brazil and Jamaica have indicated that the species exhibits a wide range of outcrossing rates. To investigate whether temporal variation in outcrossing rate was also a feature of populations, open‐pollinated families were sampled from five populations of contrasting style morph structure from N.E. Brazil over three consecutive years (1987–1989). Multilocus estimates of outcrossing rate (t) were obtained from assays of isozyme polymorphisms using starch gel electrophoresis. There was significant variation both among populations and between years in the frequency of outcrossing. Outcrossing in three tristylous populations was high (t > 0.80), with relatively small fluctuations occurring over the three‐year sampling period. In contrast, in a dimorphic and monomorphic population considerable self‐fertilization occurred and the frequency of outcrossing declined significantly from 1987 to 1989 in both populations. In the dimorphic population, increased selfing was associated with a marked reduction in population size and an increase in the frequency of selfing variants of the mid‐styled morph. The significance of temporal variation in outcrossing frequency in plant populations is discussed in relation to its effect on population genetic structure and recent models of mating‐system evolution.