HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (10) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Picó, F. X. Articles by Van Groenendael, J. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Picó, F. X. Articles by Van Groenendael, J. M. Agricola Articles by Picó, F. X. Articles by Van Groenendael, J. M.

Evaluation of the extent of among-family variation in inbreeding depression in the perennial herb Scabiosa columbaria (Dipsacaceae)¹

Department of Ecology, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, Netherlands

Significantly different maternal line responses to inbreeding provide a mechanism for the invasion of a selfing variant into a population. The goal of this study was to examine the extent of family-level variation in inbreeding depression in the mixed-mating, perennial herb Scabiosa columbaria. Plants from one population were raised, and hand-pollinated to produce selfed and outcrossed progeny, and the effects of inbreeding depression on life-cycle traits were analyzed. Inbreeding depression significantly affected early life cycle traits. The pollination treatment by family interaction was significant for almost all traits, indicating a high family-level variation in inbreeding depression. The correlations between inbreeding depression values (e.g., percentage germination and flowering date, and flowering date and aboveground biomass) exhibited alternate signs, illustrating the type of association between inbreeding depression loci for different traits across the life cycle. Overall, it is concluded that the extent of among-family variation in inbreeding depression might allow a selfing variant of S. columbaria to invade an outcrossing population, though the pattern of correlations between inbreeding depression values might prevent effective purging of the deleterious genetic load.

Key Words: family-level variation • inbreeding depression • mating system • outcrossing • purging • self-fertilization • selfing variant

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. W. Fox Problems in measuring among-family variation in inbreeding depression Am. J. Botany, November 1, 2005; 92(11): 1929 - 1932. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]