@misc{10481/67938,
year = {2021},
month = {3},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10481/67938},
abstract = {Plant mating systems may reflect an
adaptation to a habitat type, with self-pollination
being potentially common in unstable and disturbed
conditions. We investigated the reproductive ecology
of an Alpine, narrow-range toadflax, Linaria tonzigii
Lona (Plantaginaceae), occurring in steep and
dynamic mountain screes. We explored self-compatibility
and spontaneous autogamy, seed viability, daily
nectar production, pollinator behaviour and pollen
transfer in wild populations, using hand pollination treatments, quantification of nectar volume, viability
Tetrazolium assay, active pollinator sampling and
video recordings, and UV-bright dust for pollen
substitution. After ex novo sequencing of several
genetic regions of L. tonzigii, we performed a multimarker
phylogenetic analysis of 140 Linaria species
and tracked the occurrence of the self-compatibility
trait. Our results showed that this species is selfcompatible,
pollinated mostly via spontaneous autogamy
and pollinator-mediated geitonogamy, and selfpollinated
seeds are as viable as cross-pollinated ones.
Selfing could be due to pollinator rarity because,
despite the studied species providing a high nectar
volume, wild bees, moths and small beetles infrequently
visited its flowers in the sparsely vegetated scree slopes. In addition, a preliminary survey showed
a low genetic haplotype diversity in the study plant.
Moreover, the phylogeny shows that self-compatibility
is scattered in the tree, suggesting the adaptive
nature of this reproductive trait in the genus Linaria.
This study supports for theories that high prevalence
of selfing is an adaptation to environments unfavourable
for cross-pollination, and particularly where
pollinators are rare, such as in perturbed, poorly
vegetated high-elevation habitats.},
organization = {Universita degli Studi di Milano - Bicocca within the CRUI-CARE Agreement},
organization = {Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology

SFRH/BPD/111015/2015},
publisher = {Springer},
keywords = {Pollination rare plants},
keywords = {Plant reproduction},
keywords = {Genetic diversity},
keywords = {Pollen limitation},
keywords = {Outcrossing},
keywords = {Molecular markers},
title = {Investigating pollination strategies in disturbed habitats: the case of the narrow-endemic toadflax Linaria tonzigii (Plantaginaceae) on mountain screes},
doi = {10.1007/s11258-021-01123-7},
author = {Biella, Paolo and Muñoz Pajares, Antonio Jesús},
}