A pan‐European citizen science study shows population size, climate and land use are related to biased morph ratios in the heterostylous plant Primula veris

作者：Tsipe Aavik, Triin Reitalu, Marianne Kivastik, Iris Reinula, Sabrina Träger, Evelyn Uuemaa, Marta Barberis, Arjen Biere, Sílvia Castro, Sara A. O. Cousins, Anikó Csecserits, Eleftherios Dariotis, Živa Fišer, Grzegorz Grzejszczak, Cuong Nguyen Huu, Kertu Hool, Hans Jacquemyn, Margaux Julien, Marcin Klisz, Alexander Kmoch, Nikos Krigas, Attila Lengyel, Michael Lenhard, Desalew Meseret Moges, Zuzana Münzbergová, Ülo Niinemets, Baudewijn Odé, Hana Pánková, Meelis Pärtel, Ricarda Pätsch, Theodora Petanidou, Jan Plue, Radosław Puchałka, Froukje Rienks, Ioulietta Samartza, Julie Koch Sheard, Bojana Stojanova, Joachim Töpper, Georgios Tsoktouridis, Spas Uzunov, Martin Zobel · 发表于：Journal of Ecology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/1365-2745.14477 · 被引用次数：12 · 研究领域：Plant and animal studies、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Species Distribution and Climate Change

Abstract The distylous plant Primula veris has long served as a model species for studying heterostyly, that is the occurrence of multiple floral morphs within a population to ensure outcrossing. Habitat loss, reduced plant population sizes, and climate change have raised concerns about the impact of these factors on morph ratios and the related consequences on fitness of heterostylous species. We studied the deviation of floral morphs of P. veris from isoplethy (i.e. equal frequency) in response to plant population size, landscape context and climatic factors, based on a pan‐European citizen science campaign involving observations from 28 countries. In addition, we examined the relative frequency of morphs to determine whether landscape and climatic factors disrupt morph frequencies or whether a specific morph has an advantage over the other. Theory predicts equal frequencies of short‐styled S‐morphs and long‐styled L‐morphs in populations at equilibrium. However, data from >3000 populations showed a substantial morph deviation from isoplethy and a significant excess of S‐morphs (9% higher compared to L‐morphs). Deviation of morph frequency from equilibrium was substantially stronger in smaller populations and was not affected by morph identity. Higher summer precipitation and land use intensity were associated with an increased prevalence of S‐morphs. Five populations containing individuals exhibiting short homostyle phenotypes (with the style and anthers in low position...