{
  "abstract": "Sexual selection is a central force in evolutionary biology that has been shown to shape phenotypes and population dynamics in animals. While this selective force is increasingly recognized in flowering plants, theory predicts that anisogamy generates sex differences in the fitness benefits of acquiring additional mates—a pattern well supported in animals but with limited tests in plants. Plant studies rely solely on genetic parentage analyses to estimate mate numbers, thereby conflating performance in accessing mates with success in gamete fertilization. Pollinators add an ecological layer, as their behavior and abundance can influence competition for access to mates and their gametes. Here, we disentangle consecutive episodes of sexual selection in the hermaphroditic plant Brassica rapa by combining direct observations of Bombus terrestris movements with genetic paternity analyses in experimental populations, thus providing independent estimates of the observational number of mates acquired and realized fertilization success. Our approach identifies pollen competition for ovules as the primary arena for sexual selection in B. rapa. Competition for access to mates constitutes a secondary force and was found to be stronger in the male compared to the female sex function, as predicted by classic theory. Experimentally reduced pollinator abundance modulated the balance between pre- and post-pollination sexual selection, increasing the opportunity for selection on mate acquisition. Ignoring pollinator movements led to biased estimates of pre-pollination sexual selection. Our findings demonstrate that sexual selection in plants unfolds across multiple, sequential episodes shaped by ecological context.\n\nWhat impact does pollinator abundance and behavior have on sexual selection in flowering plants? This study uses bumblebees and Brassica rapa to show that pollen competition for ovules is the primary arena for sexual selection.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "ISEM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France",
    "CEFE, University of Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France"
  ],
  "article_type": "Short Reports",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Estelle Barbot",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6790-2429"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mathilde Dufaÿ"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tim Janicke"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Benoit Lapeyre"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Denis Orcel"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "François Rousset"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jeanne Tonnabel",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3461-6965"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/46mjsvgna29w8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pbio.3003579",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003579",
  "id": "46mjsvgna29w8",
  "issns": [
    "1545-7885",
    "1544-9173"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003579",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Biology and Life Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Developmental Biology"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Eukaryota"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Evolutionary Biology"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Evolutionary Processes"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Fertilization"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Flowering Plants"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Flowers"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Genetics"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Natural Selection"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Organisms"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Plant Anatomy"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Plant Genetics"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Plant Science"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Plants"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Pollen"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Reproductive Success"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Seeds"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Sexual Selection"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Short Reports"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Developmental biology/Fertilization"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Evolutionary biology/Evolutionary processes/Natural selection/Reproductive success"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Evolutionary biology/Evolutionary processes/Natural selection/Sexual selection"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Plant genetics"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Flowering plants"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant anatomy/Flowers"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant anatomy/Pollen"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant anatomy/Seeds"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant genetics"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003579&type=printable",
  "pmcid": "PMC13712744",
  "pmid": "42945307",
  "published": "2026-10-27",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/46mjsvgna29w8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pbio.3003579",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003579"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:16Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13712744",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003579"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "heading:Developmental Biology",
      "subfield": "developmental-biology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:evolutionary biology",
      "subfield": "evolutionary-biology"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "heading:Genetics",
      "subfield": "genetics-genomics"
    },
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:plant science",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Pollinator abundance shapes sexual selection in an angiosperm",
  "title_text": "Pollinator abundance shapes sexual selection in an angiosperm",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:16Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/46mjsvgna29w8",
  "venue": "PLOS Biology",
  "versions": []
}