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Pollen grain size, stigma depth, and style length: the relationships revisited

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Abstract

I examine data and review information in the literature to test hypotheses proposed by Delpino and Darwin to explain the source of nutrients utilized by pollen tubes. In 1867, Delpino, in his discussion of distyly, suggested that the positive relationship between pollen grain size and style length was based on the pollen grains containing sufficient nutrients to sustain the growth of their pollen tubes through their respective styles. Darwin (The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species, 2nd edn. J. Murray, London, 1884) rejected Delpino’s suggestion based on his examination of distylous species whose morphs produced pollen grains whose sizes were not proportionate to the lengths of their respective styles. Darwin then proposed that pollen tubes first grow autotrophically, i.e., through the stigma, then heterotrophically in the style. This should result in a positive relationship between pollen grain size and stigma depth, if pollen tubes grow autotrophically through the stigma. I examined 15 species in Fabaceae and 20 species in Proteaceae to test the two hypotheses. Pollen grain size was correlated with stigma depth among the Fabaceae, i.e., consistent with Darwin’s hypothesis, and was not correlated with style length in either family, i.e., inconsistent with Delpino’s proposal. Comparisons of related species, in general, were consistent with Darwin’s hypothesis. In addition, information in the literature provided no evidence that pollen tubes obtain resources on or in the stigma, i.e., pollen tube growth from the stigmatic surface to the style was autotrophic. In contrast, pollen tubes obtain an array of resources from the transmission tissue, thus there is little reason for pollen grains to contain those resources. In addition, I suggest that positive correlations between pollen grain size and style/pistil length may be a result of both being correlated with stigma depth.

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Acknowledgments

This research was carried out while a Visiting Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia. My thanks to the faculty, staff and students in the School of Biological Sciences and the Institute for Conservation Biology who helped make my visits both enjoyable and rewarding. Special thanks to Rob Whelan for making my visits possible, Julie Wright who attended to so many details, and James Wallman and Kristine French who provided access to critical equipment. My conversations with David Ayre, Ben Goodin, Kristine French, Evie Kroggel, James Madsen, Tanya Mason, Mats Olsson, Sharon Robinson, Craig Sherman, Tonia Schwartz, and Thomas Wanger helped make my visits both enjoyable and educational. Belinda Pellow provided access to the Janet Cosh Herbarium and checked the determinations of the voucher specimens. Peter Cuneo and the staff at the Mt. Annan Botanic Garden, Mt. Annan, NSW provided material of A. detmoldi F. Muell. and Lomatia fraserii R. Br. I am grateful to Barbara Briggs and Peter Weston of the National Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney for sharing their extensive knowledge of the Proteaceae. M. Damm provided constructive criticism of the manuscript. This paper is dedicated to David and Virginia Lyon for the 38 years of friendship and especially for inviting me to be part of their Australian experience.

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  1. Robert William Cruden

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52240, USA

    Robert William Cruden

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Appendix 1: Sources of material included in this study

Appendix 1: Sources of material included in this study

Table 3
Full size table

Northwest of Wollongong:

  1. 1.

    Intersection of Mt. Kiera Rd. and Harry Graham Rd. (road to Mt. Kembla).

  2. 2.

    Picton Road, 30–50 m east of Mt. Kiera Rd.

  3. 3.

    Cordeaux Dam Road, ca. 0.7 km south of Picton Road (Rt. 88).

Route 60 northeast of Wollongong:

  1. 4.

    Route 60, between Sublime Point and Darkes Forest Road, opposite Bomerang Golf Course.

  2. 5.

    Darkes Forest Road, ca. 200 m north and south of track into the Dharawal State Recreation Area (near end of paved road).

  1. 6.

    Woronora Dam Road, ca. 4.7 km N Route 60.

  2. 7.

    Woronora Dam Road, SE of track leading to Sarahs Knob.

Route 9, southeast of Robertson:

  1. 8.

    Route 9, ca. half way between Carrington Falls Road and Barren Grounds Nature Preserve.

  2. 9.

    Carrington Falls Road, ca. 0.8 km from Route 9.

  3. 10.

    Carrington Falls Road, ca. 1.4 km from Route 9.

  4. 11.

    Carrington Falls Road, 0.5–1.0 km south of Kangaroo River.

Belmore Falls Road, south of Robertson:

  1. 12.

    Ca. 6.8 km from Route 48 in Robertson (6.1 km from South Street).

  2. 13.

    Ca. 7.6 km from Route 48 in Robertson (6.9 km from South Street).

Blue Mountains:

  1. 14.

    Wentworth Falls, below car park.

  2. 15.

    Blackheath. Fairfax track, in woods at Govett’s Leap

Road to Wombeyan Caves:

  1. 16.

    Ca. 15 km NW of the tunnel and ca. 31 km NW of Greenhills Rd.

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Cruden, R.W. Pollen grain size, stigma depth, and style length: the relationships revisited. Plant Syst Evol 278, 223–238 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-008-0142-8

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