Variation in the population genetic structure of two Cyclamen species on the island of Corsica

Abstract

Cyclamen repandum and C. hedenfolium occur in sympatry in many sites across their distributions but flower at different times. A previous controlled pollination experiment on plants of the two species collected on the island of Corsica showed no evidence of inbreeding depression over all measured life cycle stages in C. repandum, whereas C. hederifolium showed inbreeding depression (multiplicative (5 0.49) on fruit maturation and seed production. This suggests that C. repandum may have a greater history of inbreeding than C. hederifolium. In this paper, we examine whether within-population heterozygosity and among-population differentiation on Corsica are consistent with the hypothesis that C. repandum is more inbred than C. hederifolium. Cyclamen hederifolium showed a higher percentage of polymorphic loci, mean number of alleles per locus and mean observed heterozygosity than C. repandum. Cyclamen repandum showed higher among population differentiation (FST =0.415) than C. hederifolium (FST = 0.131). The within-population fixation index was greater in C. repandum (F1 = 0.658) than in C. hederifolium (F1 = 0.329). Cyclamen repandum thus appears to have a greater history of inbreeding than C. hederifolium. The variation in the mating system of the two species is discussed in relation to their sympatric occurrence and data from previous work on the population genetic structure of island populations of other geographically restricted Cyclamen species

Relationship of animals to the cyclamen Cyclamen fatrense Halda et Soják: pollinators, consumers and occasional visitors

“…This is more or less in accordance with results of other authors studying pollinators of different cyclamen species (Affre et al 1995;Affre & Thompson 1997;SchwartzTzachor et al 2006). The presupposed lost of attractiveness of cyclamen flowers for these pollinators is usually explained by historical causes (climatic changes, glaciations, tectonic movements -Schwartz- Tzachor et al 2006).…”

“…Hildebrand (1898) observed these hymenopterans on flowers of the cultivated cyclamens. More frequently the cyclamens are pollinated by night moths, thrips or hoverflies (Lüdi 1975;Affre et al 1995;Affre & Thompson 1997;SchwartzTzachor et al 2006).…”

“…In Cyclamen repandum Sm., Cyclamen hederifolium Aiton and Cyclamen persicum Mill. nectar is not produced (Affre & Thompson 1997;SchwartzTzachor et al 2006), while Affre et al (1995) mentioned its absence in the whole Cyclamen genus.…”

INBREEDING DEPRESSION IN GYNODIOECIOUSLOBELIA SIPHILITICA: AMONG-FAMILY DIFFERENCES OVERRIDE BETWEEN-MORPH DIFFERENCES

“…The prediction of a negative correlation between the level of inbreeding depression and the degree of inbreeding has been tested by comparing plant species with different mating systems or comparing populations within a species with different degrees of selfing. The majority of these studies provide support for the prediction (Holtsford and Ellstrand 1990;Dole and Ritland 1993;Husband andSchemske 1995, 1996;Carr and Dudash 1996;Johnston and Schoen 1996;Affre and Thompson 1997).Recent theoretical studies have emphasized that familylevel variation in inbreeding depression is not equal to the inbreeding depression in the population as a whole (Holsinger 1988(Holsinger , 1991 Uyenoyama and Waller 1991a,b,c;Uyenoyama et al 1993). According to these models, variation in inbreeding depression at the family level is produced by associations that develop between loci determining the mating system and loci determining the probability of survival (inbreeding depression).…”

“…The prediction of a negative correlation between the level of inbreeding depression and the degree of inbreeding has been tested by comparing plant species with different mating systems or comparing populations within a species with different degrees of selfing. The majority of these studies provide support for the prediction (Holtsford and Ellstrand 1990;Dole and Ritland 1993;Husband andSchemske 1995, 1996;Carr and Dudash 1996;Johnston and Schoen 1996;Affre and Thompson 1997).…”