Data from: Deconstructing heterostyly: the evolutionary role of incompatibility system, pollinators and floral architecture

Darwin’s early work on heterostyly and related style polymorphisms (the presence of two or three style morphs within a population) generated much interest to understand how precise interactions between ecological and genetic mechanisms influence the evolution of floral diversity. Here we tested three key hypotheses proposed to explain the evolution of heterostyly: i)the presence of self-incompatibility, ii) the role of pollinators in promoting dissasortative mating, and iii) floral architecture, which restricts pollinators’ movements and ensures more exact pollen deposition on their bodies. We combined data from experiments, field observations, and published studies to test whether evolution of style polymorphism in Narcissus is driven by the incompatibility system, pollinator guilds, or floral architecture, within a phylogenetic framework. Neither differences in pollinator environment nor the presence of genetic self-incompatibility were correlated with presence of style polymorphism. However, our results indicate that the evolution of style polymorphism was driven by the presence of a narrow and long floral tube.

达尔文早期关于花柱异型（heterostyly）及相关花柱多态（即种群内存在两种或三种花柱形态）的研究，引发了学界对理解生态与遗传机制的精准互作如何影响花卉多样性演化的广泛兴趣。本研究针对解释花柱异型演化的三项核心假说开展了检验：其一为自交不亲和（self-incompatibility）的存在；其二为传粉者在促进异型交配中的作用；其三为花部结构——该结构可限制传粉者的活动范围，并确保花粉更精准地附着于传粉者体表。本研究整合实验、野外观测及已发表文献的数据，在系统发育框架（phylogenetic framework）下，检验水仙属（Narcissus）的花柱多态演化是否由自交不亲和系统、传粉者类群或花部结构所驱动。研究发现，传粉环境差异与遗传自交不亲和的存在与否，均与花柱多态的出现无显著相关性；但本研究结果表明，花柱多态的演化实则由狭长的花管所驱动。