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Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2007; 9(1): 147-151
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-924310
Short Research Paper

Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart KG · New York

Evidence for Inbreeding Depression in the Food-Deceptive Colour-Dimorphic Orchid Dactylorhiza sambucina (L.) Soò

N. Juillet1 , S. Dunand-Martin2 , L. D. B. Gigord1
  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolution, Biophore Building, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
  • 2Laboratoire de culture in vitro, Conservatoire et Jardins Botaniques - Ville de Genève, 1 chemin de l'Impératrice, 1292 Chambésy, Switzerland
Further Information

Publication History

Received: May 2, 2006

Accepted: May 23, 2006

Publication Date:
01 August 2006 (online)

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Abstract

About one third of all orchid species are deceptive, i.e., not providing any reward to their pollinator. Such species often have lower visitation rates compared to rewarding relatives. This could result in lower levels of geitonogamous selfing and thus would provide an advantage in term of progeny fitness through inbreeding avoidance. This hypothesis could be tested by comparing the level of inbreeding depression between deceptive and rewarding orchids. However, due to the difficulty to raise orchids from seeds, few studies of inbreeding depression are available, and most are focused on very early life stages, such as seed mass or embryo viability. Here, we present the results from an experimental investigation of inbreeding depression in the deceptive flower-colour dimorphic Dactylorhiza sambucina, from in vitro cultivation to greenhouse soil transplantation. We found strong inbreeding depression at all recorded stages (i.e., germination and survival), with estimates ranging from 0.47 to 0.75. Our study finally proposes a simple and suitable experimental protocol to raise orchids from seeds with high germination rates.

Key words

Inbreeding depression - in vitro cultivation - deceptive orchid - seed germination - Dactylorhiza sambucina.

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N. Juillet

Department of Ecology and Evolution
University of Lausanne

1015 Lausanne

Switzerland

Email: nicolas.juillet@unil.ch

Editor: F. Salamini