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Australian Journal of Botany Australian Journal of Botany Society
Southern hemisphere botanical ecosystems
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Extra-stigmatic pollen germination and pistil elongation: a novel strategy towards reproductive assurance in Dodonaea viscosa subsp. angustifolia

Sajid Khan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4961-1182 A * and Susheel Verma A B *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Botany, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir 185234, India.

B Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir 180006, India.


Handling Editor: Susan Hoebee

Australian Journal of Botany 72, BT22062 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT22062
Submitted: 4 June 2022  Accepted: 12 February 2024  Published: 6 March 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

Reproductive success in dioecious plant species may be limited by severe pollen limitation owing to their separate sexes and pollination barriers.

Aims

Dodonaea viscosa subsp. angustifolia (Jacq.) (Sapindaceae) is a dioecious and wind-pollinated species that has a long flowering period. This study sought to determine the relationship between its reproductive behaviour and pollen availability during different flowering phases.

Methods

Extra-stigmatic pollen germination and reproductive performance during different phases of flowering were investigated and correlated with pistil elongation under natural conditions.

Results

The species offers whole stigmatic and stylar surfaces for pollen to land and germinate under natural conditions. During pollen-limiting conditions, the length of the pistil increases significantly to enhance pollen capture. Depending on where on the pistil pollen lands, the timing of pollen tube arrival at the ovary varies.

Conclusions

Dodonaea viscosa subsp. angustifolia is the first reported wild species in the Sapindaceae where pistil elongation is regulated by pollination conditions and extra-stigmatic pollen germination ensures reproduction during phases of differing pollen availability. Our results indicated that the flexibility of female function and reproductive behaviour in Dodonaea viscosa subsp. angustifolia adds to the evolutionary possibilities to overcome pollination constraints.

Implications

This unique strategy for increasing female fitness through pollen presentation in D. viscosa subsp. angustifolia could be explored in other subspecies of D. viscosa on the Australian subcontinent.

Keywords: Dodonaea viscosa subsp. Angustifolia, extra stigmatic surface, pistil elongation, pollen germination, pollen limitation, pollen tube, pollination, seed set.

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