Conference papers
Mating system adaptation in populations of Centaurea cyanus L.
Abstract : Since the 50s, the agriculture intensification in Western Europe resulted in landscape homogenization
and reduction of habitat connectivity, which in turn caused a widespread decline of farmland biological diversity.
Centaurea cyanus is one of the declining “segetal species”. It is an annual and insect-pollinated
species with a self-incompatibility system. When the populations are small and fragmented, they may
extinct if the incompatibility system cannot evolve towards a compatibility system. A coexistence of
mixed mating system is also possible in a population.
In our study, we examined the ability of C. cyanus to produce seeds by autogamy. For this purpose,
three conditions were tested: 1) two plants in a cage with flies as pollinators to allow outcrossing;
2) one plant by cage with flies as pollinators to force free self fertilization; and 3) one capitulum
bagged by cage without flies to force self fertilization. The results confirmed that C. cyanus is an
insect-pollinated species that cannot produce seeds without pollinators. In most of the plants flower
fertilization was less than 1% under free self fertilization while some plants produced more than 6% of
seeds. Crossing by flies yielded 26% of fertilized flowers. Therefore, a low frequency of plants seemed
to be partially self-compatible. It could be an advantage for the conservation of small populations, but
it could change the genetic structure of the populations and modify their biology.
https://hal-agrosup-dijon.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01873576
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Submitted on : Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 2:10:25 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 3:10:36 AM
Contributor : Admin Agrosupdijon <>
Submitted on : Thursday, September 13, 2018 - 2:10:25 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - 3:10:36 AM