Breeding system of Embothrium coccineum J.R. et G. Forster. (Proteaceae) in two populations on different slopes of the Andes.

ADRIANA E. ROVERE, CECILIA SMITH-RAMÍREZ, JUAN J. ARMESTO & ANDREA C. PREMOLI

REVISTA CHILENA DE HISTORIA NATURAL076-078X

Lugar: Santiago de Chile; Año: 2006 vol. 79 p. 225 - 232

Plant breeding systems are considered to reflect species’ life history characteristics, selection due to biotic or abiotic factors, pollination conditions, or a combination of these. Reproductive system may vary over ecological gradients. The breeding system of the ornithophilous Embothrium coccineum (Proteaceae) from temperate South America was studied by pollination treatments: manual self-pollination, manual cross-pollination, automatic self-pollination, and natural pollination. These treatments were conducted in a coastal western and an Andean eastern population. E. coccineum was found to be self-incompatible and highly dependent on the pollinating agent at both sites. However, pollen limitations were greater in the coastal population, as breeding efficiency was lower. Populations have different floral visitors whose identity differentially affects reproductive efficiency and pollen flow in E. coccineum. Key words: Self-incompatibility, endemic species, temperate forest, Chile, Argentina.