Person: López Teixido, Alberto
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First Name
Alberto
Last Name
López Teixido
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Ciencias Biológicas
Department
Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución
Area
Botánica
Identifiers
4 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Item Sex-dependent selection on flower size in a large-flowered Mediterranean species: an experimental approach with Cistus ladanifer(Plant Systematics and Evolution, 2014) Barrio, Miguel; López Teixido, AlbertoLarger flowers increase pollinator visit rates and reproductive success, so selection on flower size is usually mediated by pollinators. However, larger flowers involve costs imposed by resource limitation so environmental conditions may also modulate flower size. “Male function” hypothesis entails that the intensity of selection is sex-dependent, being greater through male fitness, whereas female fitness is more limited by resources. In this study we analyse pollinator-mediated phenotypic selection on flower size through both sexes in a large-flowered Mediterranean species, Cistus ladanifer. We experimentally manipulated flower size in two populations, measured its effect on male and female fitness and estimated the strength and direction of phenotypic selection through both sexes and populations. Unmanipulated control flowers received higher pollinator visit rates and dispersed a higher pollen amount than reduced flowers. This translated into selection towards larger flowers through male fitness in both populations. Nevertheless, flower size had little effect on female fitness. Fruit set was high but selection through this component of female function was not significant. Seed number increased in control flowers, especially in one population, where we detected positive selection on flower size. Our results suggest that pollinator-mediated phenotypic selection on flower size in this large-flowered Mediterranean species is especially modulated by male fitness, but flower size adjustment may also be a result of a simultaneous selection through both sexes that, in turn, is dependent of ecological context.Item Reproductive assurance weakens pollinator-mediated selection on flower size in an annual mixed-mating species(Annals of Botany, 2019) López Teixido, Alberto; Aizen, Marcelo A.Background and Aims In animal-pollinated plants, direct and indirect selection for large and small flowers in predominantly outcrossing and selfing species, respectively, is a common consequence of pollen limitation (PL). However, many hermaphroditic species show a mixed-mating system known as delayed selfing, which provides reproductive assurance (RA) only when outcrossing is not realized. Although RA is expected to reduce pollinator-mediated selection towards larger flowers, the consequences of delayed selfing for selection on flower size in mixed-mating species remain overlooked. We investigated whether RA weakens selection on flower size in Tuberaria guttata, a mixed-mating annual herb. Methods We related pollinator visitation rates to flower size and measured seed production in emasculated, hand cross-pollinated and intact (control) flowers in three natural populations. For each population, we estimated variation in PL and RA across individuals differing in flower size and phenotypic selection on this trait. Key Results Pollinator visitation increased and RA decreased with flower size in all populations. Increasing RA diminished but did not fully alleviate PL, because of early-acting inbreeding depression. In the least-visited and most pollen-limited population, RA increased seed production by >200 %, intensely counteracting the strong pollinator-mediated selection for larger corollas. In the most-visited population, however, RA increased seed production by an average of only 9 %. This population exhibited the largest fraction of individuals that showed a decrease in seed production due to selfing and the weakest pollinator-mediated selection on flower size. Conclusions The results suggest that the balance between the extent of RA and outcrossing contributes to determine flower size in mixed-mating systems. Pollinator-mediated selection favours larger flowers by increasing outcrossed seeds, but the benefits of RA greatly lessen this effect, especially under severe conditions of pollen limitation. Our findings also indicate that a mixed-mating system can represent an ‘evolutionary trap’ under an adequate pollinator supply.Item Towards the flower economics spectrum(New Phytologist, 2020) Roddy, Adam B.; Martínez‐Perez, Cecilia; López Teixido, Alberto; Cornelissen,Tatiana G.; Olson, Mark E.; Oliveira, Rafael S.; Silveira, Fernando A. O.Understanding how floral traits affect reproduction is key for understanding genetic diversity, speciation, and trait evolution in the face of global changes and pollinator decline. However, there has not yet been a unified framework to characterize the major trade-offs and axes of floral trait variation. Here, we propose the development of a floral economics spectrum (FES) that incorporates the multiple pathways by which floral traits can be shaped by multiple agents of selection acting on multiple flower functions. For example, while pollinator-mediated selection has been considered the primary factor affecting flower evolution, selection by nonpollinator agents can reinforce or oppose pollinator selection, and, therefore, affect floral trait variation. In addition to pollinators, the FES should consider nonpollinator biotic agents and floral physiological costs, broadening the drivers of floral traits beyond pollinators. We discuss how coordinated evolution and trade-offs among floral traits and between floral and vegetative traits may influence the distribution of floral traits across biomes and lineages, thereby influencing organismal evolution and community assembly.Item Revisiting florivory: an integrative review and global patterns of a neglected interaction(New Phytologist, 2021) Boaventura, Maria Gabriela; Villamil, Nora; López Teixido, Alberto; Tito, Richard; Vasconcelos, Heraldo L.; Silveira, Fernando A. O.; Cornelissen, TatianaFlorivory is an ancient interaction which has rarely been quantified due to a lack of standardized protocols, thus impairing biogeographical and phylogenetic comparisons. We created a global, continuously updated, open-access database comprising 180 species and 64 families to compare floral damage between tropical and temperate plants, to examine the effects of plant traits on floral damage, and to explore the eco-evolutionary dynamics of flower–florivore interactions. Flower damage is widespread across angiosperms, but was two-fold higher in tropical vs temperate species, suggesting stronger fitness impacts in the tropics. Flowers were mostly damaged by chewers, but neither flower color nor symmetry explained differences in florivory. Herbivory and florivory levels were positively correlated within species, even though the richness of the florivore community does not affect florivory levels. We show that florivory impacts plant fitness via multiple pathways and that ignoring this interaction makes it more difficult to obtain a broad understanding of the ecology and evolution of angiosperms. Finally, we propose a standardized protocol for florivory measurements, and identify key research avenues that will help fill persistent knowledge gaps. Florivory is expected to be a central research topic in an epoch characterized by widespread decreases in insect populations that comprise both pollinators and florivores.