Annals of Botany 123: 1017–1027, 2019 doi: 10.1093/aob/mcz007, available online at www.academic.oup.com/aob Comparison of mechanisms of reproductive interference in Taraxacum Akane Takemori1,†, Akiyo Naiki2, Ko-Ichi Takakura3, Masahiro M. Kanaoka4 and Sachiko Nishida5,* 1Graduate School of Education, Okayama University, Tsushima-naka 1-1-1, Kita-ku, Okayama City 700–8530, Japan, 2Iriomote Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun 907–1541, Japan, 3School of Environmental Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Yasaka-cho, Hikone 552–0057, Japan, 4Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464–8601, Japan and 5Nagoya University Museum, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464–8601, Japan *For correspondence. E-mail:
[email protected] †Present name: Akane Yamamoto. Received: 26 July 2018 Returned for revision: 30 October 2018 Editorial decision: 3 January 2019 Accepted: 7 January 2019 • Background and Aims Reproductive interference may reduce fitness of either of the involved species, with po- tentially important ecological and evolutionary consequences. Except for the effect of shared pollinators on repro- ductive success, however, mechanisms underlying reproductive interference have been little studied, even though the severity of its impact may depend on the specific mechanism. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the mechanisms of reproductive interference between Taraxacum japonicum (native to Japan) and Taraxacum officinale (alien). • Methods In a field survey, the association between alien species density and seed set in T. japonicum, and whether pollinator behaviour indicated a preference for the alien, were examined. Effects of heterospecific pollen deposition were measured in a series of hand pollination experiments, including mixed pollination experiments in which the order of application of conspecific and heterospecific pollen was varied.