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AOBPreview originally published online on July 26, 2004
Annals of Botany 2004 94(3):433-440; doi:10.1093/aob/mch163
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Annals of Botany 94/3, © Annals of Botany Company 2004; all rights reserved

Variation in Floral Sex Allocation in Polygonatum odoratum (Liliaceae)

JAVIER GUITIÁN1,*, MÓNICA MEDRANO2 and JOSÉ E. OTI1

1 Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Sur, 15782 Santiago, Spain and 2 Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C., Avda. María Luisa s/n, 41013 Sevilla, Spain

* For correspondence. E-mail bvjguiti{at}usc.es

Received: 23 February 2004    Returned for revision: 5 April 2004    Accepted: 2 June 2004    Published electronically: 26 July 2004

• Background and aims It is well known that resource allocation to male and female functions can be highly variable in hermaphroditic plants. The purpose of this study was to investigate variations in sexual investment at different levels (flower, plant and population) in Polygonatum odoratum, a plant with sequentially opening flowers.

• Methods Pollen and ovule production in base, middle and top flowers of P. odoratum flowering shoots from two natural populations were quantified. Plant measurements of phenotypic and functional gender were calculated in both populations. Total leaf number was used to investigate the relationship between gender assessments and plant size.

• Key results Pollen and ovule production varied depending on flower position, although the precise pattern differed between both studied populations; only investment in female floral function decreased markedly from base to top flowers in both populations. The frequency distribution of phenotypic gender and their relationship with plant size differed between populations. Phenotypic and functional gender were correlated in both populations.

• Conclusions Sexual investment in P. odoratum has shown a marked variability within plants, among plants, and between populations, which confirms the importance of analysing sex expression in plants of this type. Differences in relative investment in male and female components (phenotypic gender) are reflected in the functional gender and it would be expected that the evolution of sexual specialization in Polygonatum odoratum would be promoted.

Key words: Sex allocation, functional gender, phenotypic gender, plant size, Polygonatum odoratum


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