Among- and Within-Flower Comparisons of Pollen Tube Growth Following Self- and Cross-Pollinations in Dianthus chinensis (Caryophyllaceae)

Early inbreeding depression in the sexually polymorphic plant Dianthus sylvestris (Caryophyllaceae): Effects of selfing and biparental inbreeding among sex morphs

“…This advantage could be achieved via differential pollen tube growth or by kin effects, i.e., two unrelated donors were used for outcrosses, which may have exacerbated the early race for fertilization and possibly resulted in fewer successful pollen tubes. A decrease in self‐pollen tube growth was described in another species of Dianthus (Aizen et al, 1990), and the hypothesis of increased competition between outcross pollen might thus account for the lower fertilization reported here. We interpret this surprising advantage of related pollen as one possible pathway to reproductive insurance, given plants often suffer from pollen limitation (Burd, 1994).…”

Pollinator‐mediated gene flow fosters genetic variability in a narrow alpine endemic, Abronia alpina (Nyctaginaceae)

“…In our study, the mechanism of self‐incompatibility appears to be the result of slow growth or no growth of pollen tubes derived from self‐pollination. This is consistent with other studies that have demonstrated that self‐pollen grows slower than outcrossed pollen (Aizen et al, 1990; Williamson and Bazeer, 1997).…”

Pollen performance traits reveal prezygotic nonrandom mating and interference competition in Arabidopsis thaliana

“…Interference can also occur at the level of pollen tube growth. For example, in Dianthus chinensis differences between self and outcross pollen tube growth rates are increased when both pollen types are found together in the same pistil (Aizen et al, 1990).…”

“…Alternatively, pollen tube growth rates in single‐donor pollinations, visualized with aniline blue, have been used to predict performance in mixed pollinations, again with mixed success (e.g., (Marshall and Diggle, 2001; Pasonen et al, 2002). Finally, pollen tube growth rates have been measured in some protandrous plants that have separate styles that lead to the same ovary, such as Dianthus chinensis , Hibiscus moscheutos , or species that have different channels in the style, such as Erythronium grandiflorum (Aizen et al, 1990; Cruzan, 1990a; Snow and Spira, 1991b, a). Generally, these methods are unable to account for pollen–pollen interactions, such as crowding or direct interference.…”