title: Global biogeography of mating system variation in seed plants.
abstract: Latitudinal gradients in biotic interactions have been suggested as causes of global patterns of biodiversity and phenotypic variation. Plant biologists have long speculated that outcrossing mating systems are more common at low than high latitudes owing to a greater predictability of plant-pollinator interactions in the tropics; however, these ideas have not previously been tested. Here, we present the first global biogeographic analysis of plant mating systems based on 624 published studies from 492 taxa. We found a weak decline in outcrossing rate towards higher latitudes and among some biomes, but no biogeographic patterns in the frequency of self-incompatibility. Incorporating life history and growth form into biogeographic analyses reduced or eliminated the importance of latitude and biome in predicting outcrossing or self-incompatibility. Our results suggest that biogeographic patterns in mating system are more likely a reflection of the frequency of life forms across latitudes rather than the strength of plant-pollinator interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Briscoe Runquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
authors.forename: Annika M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Moe
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Monica A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Geber
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goodwillie
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CNRS), Montpelier Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Pierre-Olivier
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Cheptou
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Elle
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalisz
authors.affiliation: Botany Department, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Ree
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
authors.forename: Risa D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Sargent
authors.affiliation: Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallejo-Marin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Alice A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Winn
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D032462:Cycadopsida / Q000502:physiology*; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000502:physiology*; D063148:Plant Dispersal; D054817:Pollination; D012098:Reproduction; D057945:Self-Fertilization
keywords: Biotic interactions; breeding system; floral evolution; latitudinal gradient; life history; outcrossing; plant-pollinator interaction; pollination; self-fertilisation; sexual system