Delph et al. - Gynodioecy in New Zealand Gaultheria

New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

Gynodioecy in native New Zealand Gaultheria (Ericaceae)

Lynda F. Delph

Department of Biology
1001 East Third Street
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
ldelph@indiana.edu

Curtis M. Lively

Department of Biology
1001 East Third Street
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405, USA

C. J. Webb

Landcare Research
PO Box 40
Lincoln 7640, New Zealand

Abstract The breeding systems of Gaultheria native to New Zealand were investigated. Gaultheria antipoda and G. depressa var. depressa populations contained only hermaphrodites. Populations of five other taxa were found to be gynodioecious in natural populations, with 4–67% females, and evidence from the literature and herbarium sheets suggests that an additional five taxa are gynodioecious. Comparisons of flower parts, flower number, and fruit set of females and hermaphrodites in three taxa revealed few significant differences. Corollas of G. paniculata were smaller in females, but style length and flower number per raceme were not significantly different between the two sexes. Flower number per raceme and fruit set also did not differ significantly between females and hermaphrodites of G. crassa and G. oppositifolia. The similarities in fruit set between the sexes (always within 5% of each other within populations), combined with high female frequencies, suggest that male sterility is caused by cytoplasmic factors. Gynodioecy is widespread but not ubiquitous in New Zealand Gaultheria.

Keywords breeding system; fruit set; Gaultheria; gynodioecy; New Zealand

B06025; Online publication date 15 November 2006 Received 29 June 2006; accepted 31 October 2006

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