Abstract
We investigated pollination biology and breeding systems in hybridizing populations of Pitcairnia albiflos and P. staminea; both species are endemic to rocky outcrops at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These species are morphologically distinct and easily recognized by floral color: white in P. albiflos and red in P. staminea. Putative hybrids show a large range of intermediate pink floral colors. The showy hermaphroditic flowers offer pollen and nectar that attract many visitors including bees, butterflies, hawk moths, and bats. Although the flowers of both parental species and hybrids open at night, only P. albiflos had other adaptations for nocturnal pollination. Flowering times overlapped during three consecutive years of observation. Bees visited both species and putative hybrids. Cross-pollinations were performed within and among parental species and hybrids in a greenhouse using plants transplanted from the field. Pitcairnia staminea and hybrids are self-compatible and could be spontaneously self-pollinated, whereas P. albiflos, though self-compatible, needs pollinators' services for self-pollination. Facultative agamospermy was found in the parental species. Prezygotic and postzygotic reproductive barriers between these taxa were weak. Reciprocal hand-pollinations between parental species and with hybrids yielded high fruit sets with viable seeds. Evaluations of fruit set, seed set, seed germination, and pollen viability were undertaken to compare the fitness of the hybrids relative to their parents. The hybrids showed equivalent fitness, except for lower pollen viability. Some conservation implications are noted.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
The parental species differ in floral color and hybrids have intermediate pink colors.
- Taxon
- P. albiflos
Pitcairnia albiflose0 - Organ / stage
- floral colorse0
- Outcome
- white in P. albiflos and red in P. stamineae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“white in P. albiflos and red in P. staminea. Putative hybrids show a large range of intermediate pink floral colors”
Claim · model-written summary
Only P. albiflos had additional adaptations for nocturnal pollination.
- Taxon
- P. albiflosPitcairnia albiflose0
- Outcome
- adaptations for nocturnal pollinatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“only P. albiflos had other adaptations for nocturnal pollination”
Claim · model-written summary
Flowering times overlapped across three years.
- Taxon
- Pitcairnia albiflos and P. stamineaPitcairnia albiflos
Pitcairnia stamineae1 - Outcome
- Flowering times overlappede0
- Value
- three consecutive yearse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Flowering times overlapped during three consecutive years of observation”
e1“populations of Pitcairnia albiflos and P. staminea”
Claim · model-written summary
Bees visited both species and putative hybrids.
- Taxon
- Pitcairnia albiflos and P. stamineaPitcairnia albiflosPitcairnia stamineae1
- Interactor
- BeesAnthophilae0pollinator
- Outcome
- visited both species and putative hybridse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Bees visited both species and putative hybrids”
e1“populations of Pitcairnia albiflos and P. staminea”
Claim · model-written summary
P. staminea is self-compatible and can self-pollinate spontaneously.
- Taxon
- Pitcairnia stamineaPitcairnia stamineae0
- Outcome
- self-compatible and could be spontaneously self-pollinatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pitcairnia staminea and hybrids are self-compatible and could be spontaneously self-pollinated”
Claim · model-written summary
Hybrids are self-compatible and can self-pollinate spontaneously.
Verbatim
e0“Pitcairnia staminea and hybrids are self-compatible and could be spontaneously self-pollinated”
Claim · model-written summary
P. albiflos is self-compatible but requires pollinators for self-pollination.
- Taxon
- P. albiflosPitcairnia albiflose0
- Outcome
- needs pollinators' services for self-pollinatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“P. albiflos, though self-compatible, needs pollinators' services for self-pollination”
Claim · model-written summary
Both parental species showed facultative agamospermy.
- Taxon
- Pitcairnia albiflos and P. stamineaPitcairnia albiflosPitcairnia stamineae1
- Outcome
- Facultative agamospermye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Facultative agamospermy was found in the parental species”
e1“populations of Pitcairnia albiflos and P. staminea”
Claim · model-written summary
Reproductive barriers between the taxa were weak.
- Taxon
- Pitcairnia albiflos and P. stamineaPitcairnia albiflosPitcairnia stamineae1
- Outcome
- Prezygotic and postzygotic reproductive barrierse0
- Direction
- weake0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Prezygotic and postzygotic reproductive barriers between these taxa were weak”
e1“populations of Pitcairnia albiflos and P. staminea”
Claim · model-written summary
Reciprocal hand pollinations yielded high fruit sets with viable seeds.
- Taxon
- Pitcairnia albiflos and P. stamineaPitcairnia albiflosPitcairnia stamineae1
- Treatment
- Reciprocal hand-pollinationse0
- Outcome
- fruit sets with viable seedse0
- Direction
- highe0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Reciprocal hand-pollinations between parental species and with hybrids yielded high fruit sets with viable seeds”
e1“populations of Pitcairnia albiflos and P. staminea”
Claim · model-written summary
Hybrids had equivalent fitness to parents except for pollen viability.
Verbatim
e0“The hybrids showed equivalent fitness, except for lower pollen viability”
Claim · model-written summary
Hybrid pollen viability was lower than parental pollen viability.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“The hybrids showed equivalent fitness, except for lower pollen viability”