Simulated Nectar Robbing Does Not Affect Pollinator-Mediated Selection on Floral Traits of Impatiens capensis

2019 ◽  
Vol 180 (8) ◽  
pp. 922-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah McDonald ◽  
Christina M. Caruso



1985 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Zimmerman ◽  
Susan Cook


2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sílvia Castro ◽  
Paulo Silveira ◽  
Luis Navarro
Keyword(s):  


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jairo Andrés Cuta-Pineda ◽  
Luis Alejandro Arias-Sosa ◽  
Roxibell C. Pelayo

Abstract Background Flowerpiercers (Diglossa) are traditionally considered as “parasites” of the pollination processes, as they can access the nectar without entering in contact with the reproductive structures of the plants. Nevertheless, the effect of flowerpiercers seems to vary according to their behavior and the flower’s traits. So, in this work, we aimed to explore the floral characteristics that may determine the susceptibility to robbing and pollen transport by flowerpiercers. Also, we identified the potential types of interactions and studied interaction network properties. Methods We collected the information of 16 ornithophilic plants regarding their floral traits and robbing frequency. Also, we captured 4 species of flowerpiercers and evaluated pollen transport (frequency and loads). We tested the correlation between floral traits, robbing frequency, and pollen transportation. Later, we used these variables in a cluster and principal component analyses to identify the potential types of interactions. Finally, we analyzed and compared the structure of the plants-flowerpiercers interaction network. Results Nectar production significantly influenced both nectar robbing and pollen transportation. While the corolla length was only correlated to the robbing susceptibility. Also, we found that particular flowerpiercers species transported higher loads of some plant pollen, which can be related to the differences in behavior and morphometric traits. We proposed the classification of five different types of plant-flowerpiercer interactions, that showed different potential mutualist or antagonist relations based on the affectation of nectar robbing and the service of pollen transportation. The interaction networks consisted of 49 links, with 2.4 links per species, and presented indicators of a medium to high resilience, stability, and resistance (nestedness, connectance, and robustness). Also, the network presented medium to low specialization and substantial niche overlap. Conclusions The ecological role of the flowerpiercers goes beyond its classic assignation as “parasites” as they can actively transport pollen of several Andean plants, affecting its evolutionary history and the stability of the systems.



2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elinor M. Lichtenberg


Author(s):  
Aradhana Phukan ◽  
P. K. Barua ◽  
D. Sarma ◽  
S. D. Deka

Two CMS lines, IR 58025A and IR 68888A along with their maintainers and two fertility restorers, LuitR and IR 36R, were evaluated for flower and plant characters during early ahu (February-June) and kharif (July-November) seasons. IR 58025A showed longer stigmata and styles, and higher spikelet Length/Breadth (L/B) ratio while IR 68888A showed broader stigmata and wider glume opening angle in both the seasons. IR 68888A also exhibited higher pollen sterility during early ahu. IR 36R was characterized with broad anthers. LuitR showed longer and broader anthers with more pollen than others. Plant height, flag leaf length, flag leaf width and area were higher in IR 36R. Panicle exsertion was complete in pollen parents whereas it was 78-80% in CMS lines. The widest flag leaf angle was found in IR 58025B during early Ahu and in IR 36R during kharif. Kharif season was more favourable for growth of the plants with higher seed set percentage while floral traits of the CMS lines were better expressed in early Ahu. Manipulation of the seeding sequence of the parental lines in early Ahu is warranted for better seed set provided the seed crop escapes heavy premonsoon showers during reproductive stage. IR 68888A/LuitR was a good combination for pollen dispersal and seed setting.



Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 988
Author(s):  
Charlotte Descamps ◽  
Najet Boubnan ◽  
Anne-Laure Jacquemart ◽  
Muriel Quinet

Drought and higher temperatures caused by climate change are common stress conditions affecting plant growth and development. The reproductive phase is particularly sensitive to stress, but plants also need to allocate their limited resources to produce floral traits and resources to attract pollinators. We investigated the physiological and floral consequences of abiotic stress during the flowering period of Impatiens glandulifera, a bee-pollinated species. Plants were exposed to three temperatures (21, 24, 27 °C) and two watering regimes (well-watered, water stress) for 3 weeks. Not all parameters measured responded in the same manner to drought and/or heat stress. Drought stress induced leaf senescence, decreasing leaf number by 15–30% depending on growth temperature. Drought also reduced photosynthetic output, while temperature rise affected stomatal conductance. The number of flowers produced dropped 40–90% in response to drought stress, while higher temperatures shortened flower life span. Both stresses affected floral traits, but flower resources diminished in response to higher temperatures, with lower nectar volume and pollen protein content. We conclude that increased temperatures and drought stress, which are becoming more frequent with climate change, can negatively affect flowering, even if plants deploy physiological resistance strategies.



Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 895
Author(s):  
Samira El Hanafi ◽  
Souad Cherkaoui ◽  
Zakaria Kehel ◽  
Ayed Al-Abdallat ◽  
Wuletaw Tadesse

Hybrid wheat breeding is one of the most promising technologies for further sustainable yield increases. However, the cleistogamous nature of wheat displays a major bottleneck for a successful hybrid breeding program. Thus, an optimized breeding strategy by developing appropriate parental lines with favorable floral trait combinations is the best way to enhance the outcrossing ability. This study, therefore, aimed to dissect the genetic basis of various floral traits using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and to assess the potential of genome-wide prediction (GP) for anther extrusion (AE), visual anther extrusion (VAE), pollen mass (PM), pollen shedding (PSH), pollen viability (PV), anther length (AL), openness of the flower (OPF), duration of floret opening (DFO) and stigma length. To this end, we employed 196 ICARDA spring bread wheat lines evaluated for three years and genotyped with 10,477 polymorphic SNP. In total, 70 significant markers were identified associated to the various assessed traits at FDR ≤ 0.05 contributing a minor to large proportion of the phenotypic variance (8–26.9%), affecting the traits either positively or negatively. GWAS revealed multi-marker-based associations among AE, VAE, PM, OPF and DFO, most likely linked markers, suggesting a potential genomic region controlling the genetic association of these complex traits. Of these markers, Kukri_rep_c103359_233 and wsnp_Ex_rep_c107911_91350930 deserve particular attention. The consistently significant markers with large effect could be useful for marker-assisted selection. Genomic selection revealed medium to high prediction accuracy ranging between 52% and 92% for the assessed traits with the least and maximum value observed for stigma length and visual anther extrusion, respectively. This indicates the feasibility to implement genomic selection to predict the performance of hybrid floral traits with high reliability.



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