DSpace Repository

Flower movement balances pollinator needs and pollen protection

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.author Haverkamp, Alexander
dc.contributor.author Li, Xiang
dc.contributor.author Hansson, Bill S.
dc.contributor.author Baldwin, Ian T.
dc.contributor.author Knaden, Markus
dc.contributor.author Yon, Felipe
dc.date.accessioned 2018-11-30T03:10:46Z
dc.date.available 2018-11-30T03:10:46Z
dc.date.issued 2018
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12866/4073
dc.description.abstract Flower signaling and orientation are key characteristics that determine a flower's pollinator guild. However, many flowers actively move during their daily cycle, changing both their detectability and accessibility to pollinators. The flowers of the wild tobacco Nicotiana attenuata orientate their corolla upward at sunset and downward after sunrise. Here, we investigated the effect of different flower orientations on a major pollinator of N. attenuata, the hawkmoth Manduca sexta. We found that although flower orientation influenced the flight altitude of the moth in respect to the flower, it did not alter the moth's final flower choice. These behavioral observations were consistent with the finding that orientation did not systematically change the spatial distribution of floral volatiles, which are major attractants for the moths. Moreover, hawkmoths invested the same amount of time into probing flowers at different orientations, even though they were only able to feed and gather pollen from horizontally and upward-oriented flowers, but not from downward-facing flowers. The orientation of the flower was hence crucial for a successful interaction between N. attenuata and its hawkmoth pollinator. Additionally, we also investigated potential adverse effects of exposing flowers at different orientations to natural daylight levels, finding that anther temperature of upward-oriented flowers was more than 7°C higher than for downward-oriented flowers. This increase in temperature likely caused the significantly reduced germination success that was observed for pollen grains from upward-oriented flowers in comparison to those of downward and horizontally oriented flowers. These results highlight the importance of flower reorientation to balance pollen protection and a successful interaction of the plant with its insect pollinators by maintaining the association between flower volatiles and flower accessibility to the pollinator. en_US
dc.language.iso eng
dc.publisher Wiley
dc.relation.ispartofseries Ecology
dc.rights info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.rights.uri https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es
dc.subject flower handling en_US
dc.subject flower orientation en_US
dc.subject Manduca en_US
dc.subject Nicotiana en_US
dc.subject pollen viability en_US
dc.subject pollination en_US
dc.title Flower movement balances pollinator needs and pollen protection en_US
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2553
dc.subject.ocde https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#1.06.13
dc.relation.issn 1939-9170


Files in this item

Files Size Format View

There are no files associated with this item.

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess

Search DSpace


Browse

My Account

Statistics