The effects of increased UV-B radiation on growth, pollination success, and lifetime female fitness in two Brassica species

Abstract

The increasing levels of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation reaching the earth's surface caused by ozone destruction have prompted many studies of UV-B effects on plants. Most of these studies have focused on physiological and growth responses of plants to increased UV-B, but these measures may not be closely related to future survival of plant populations. We examined the effects of two of different levels of increased UV-B on total female fitness, including seed number and quality, in rapid-cycling strains of Brassica nigra and B. rapa (Brassicaceae). We also measured the effects of UV-B on fitness components, particularly those related to pollination success. Two separate experiments, examining two different levels of UV-B, were performed. Sixty plants of each species were grown under control and enhanced levels of UV-B for a total of 480 plants (60 plantsx2 speciesx2 UV- B levelsx2 experiments). Increased UV-B was generally detrimental to growth and flowering in both species; however, total seed production was actually greater at higher UV-B doses in three of four dose/plant species combinations examined. UV-B had little effect on pollination success or offspring quality in either species. Therefore, in spite of the detrimental effects of UV-B on growth and flowering that we found, there is little evidence that fitness of these plant species would suffer with increasing UV-B, and we caution against using solely physiological or growth measurements to infer effects of UV-B on plant population fitness.