Life Sciences Commons^™

Distance Between Pollen Donor And Recipient Influences Fruiting Success In Slickspot Peppergrass, Lepidium Papilliferum, Ian C. Robertson, Amy C. Ulappa

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Plant populations are often spatially structured owing to limited dispersal of pollen and seed. Mating between neighboring individuals in such populations often leads to reduced reproductive performance relative to matings between distant individuals. This response, which may be a result of inbreeding depression or prezygotic mating barriers, was investigated for slickspot peppergrass, Lepidium papilliferum L. (Brassicaceae), a rare insect-pollinated mustard endemic to sagebrush–steppe habitat in southwestern Idaho. Through hand pollination experiments we found that individual plants receiving pollen from distant sources (75–100 m and 6.5–20 km away) had significantly higher percent fruit sets than those relying on pollen from neighboring …