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长（heterostyly）及相关花柱多态性（style polymorphisms，即种群内存在两种或三种花柱形态）的研究，引发了学界对于探究生态与遗传机制的精准交互如何影响花卉多样性演化的广泛关注。本研究针对解释花柱异长演化的三项核心假说开展验证：其一为自交不亲和性（self-incompatibility）的存在，其二为传粉者在促进异型交配（dissasortative mating）中的作用，其三为花部结构（floral architecture）——该结构可限制传粉者的活动范围，并确保花粉更精准地沉积于传粉者体表。我们整合了实验数据、野外观测数据及已发表研究的数据，在系统发育框架（phylogenetic framework）下检验水仙属（Narcissus）的花柱多态性演化是否由自交不亲和系统、传粉者类群（pollinator guilds）或花部结构所驱动。传粉者环境的差异与遗传自交不亲和性的存在，均与花柱多态性的出现无显著相关性。但本研究结果显示，花柱多态性的演化是由狭窄修长的花管（floral tube）所驱动的。