The impact of a flower-color polymorphism on mating patterns in experimental populations of wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum L.)

Abstract

The polymorphism is controlled at a single genetic locus, with white petal color being completely dominant to yellow. In experimental populations with equal numbers of yellow- and white-flowered homozygous individuals, insect visitors strongly discriminated against white flowers. Pieris rapae, the most frequent pollinator, was almost 50% more likely to visit yellow than white flowers. The yellow-flowered morph sired approximately 75% of all seeds produced during the study, probably through enhanced pollen export due to the greatest attractiveness of its flowers to insect pollinators. -from Authors