Is floral iridescence a biologically relevant cue in plant–pollinator signalling? A response to van der Kooi <i>et al</i>. (2014b)

Vignolini, Silvia; Moyroud, Edwige; Hingant, Thomas; Banks, Hannah; Rudall, Paula J.; Steiner, Ullrich; Glover, Beverley J.

doi:10.1111/nph.13178

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…So far, all described examples of structural colours in petals are produced by pseudo‐regular striations of the cuticle, acting as disordered diffraction gratings (Whitney et al ., ). Like gloss, iridescence is challenging to measure (van der Kooi et al ., ; Vignolini et al ., ,b) and floral iridescence is not common. However, it is a widespread trait, as iridescent species can be identified in all major groups of angiosperms (Vignolini et al ., ,b).…”

Section: Playing With the Lightmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The physics of pollinator attraction

Moyroud

Glover

2016

New Phytologist

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Contents 350 I. 350 II. 350 III. 352 IV. 353 V. 353 353 References 354 SUMMARY: This Tansley Insight focuses on recent advances in our understanding of how flowers manipulate physical forces to attract animal pollinators and ensure reproductive success. Research has traditionally explored the role of chemical pigments and volatile organic compounds as cues for pollinators, but recent reports have demonstrated the importance of physical and structural means of pollinator attraction. Here we explore the role of petal microstructure in influencing floral light capture and optics, analysing colour, gloss and polarization effects. We discuss the interaction between flower, pollinator and gravity, and how petal surface structure can influence that interaction. Finally, we consider the role of electrostatic forces in pollen transfer and pollinator attraction. We conclude that this new interdisciplinary field is evolving rapidly.

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Section: Playing With the Lightmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Like gloss, iridescence is challenging to measure (van der Kooi et al ., ; Vignolini et al ., ,b) and floral iridescence is not common. However, it is a widespread trait, as iridescent species can be identified in all major groups of angiosperms (Vignolini et al ., ,b).…”

Section: Playing With the Lightmentioning

confidence: 99%

The physics of pollinator attraction

Moyroud

Glover

2016

New Phytologist

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“…One of these structures, the diffraction grating, is found both in animals (for example, beetles [ 2 ]) and in plants (on the petals of some animal pollinated flowers [ 5 ]). The behavioral impacts of floral iridescence and its potential ecological significance are unknown [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Animal-pollinated flowers are described as “sensory billboards” [ 10 ], with many floral features contributing to a conspicuous display that filters prospective pollinators.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Animal-pollinated flowers are described as “sensory billboards” [ 10 ], with many floral features contributing to a conspicuous display that filters prospective pollinators. Yet floral iridescence is more subtle to the human eye than that of many animal displays because the floral diffraction grating is not perfectly regular [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. This presents a puzzle: if the function of petals is to attract pollinators, then flowers might be expected to optimize iridescence to increase showiness.…”

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Flower Iridescence Increases Object Detection in the Insect Visual System without Compromising Object Identity

et al. 2016

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SummaryIridescence is a form of structural coloration, produced by a range of structures, in which hue is dependent on viewing angle [1, 2, 3, 4]. One of these structures, the diffraction grating, is found both in animals (for example, beetles [2]) and in plants (on the petals of some animal pollinated flowers [5]). The behavioral impacts of floral iridescence and its potential ecological significance are unknown [6, 7, 8, 9]. Animal-pollinated flowers are described as “sensory billboards” [10], with many floral features contributing to a conspicuous display that filters prospective pollinators. Yet floral iridescence is more subtle to the human eye than that of many animal displays because the floral diffraction grating is not perfectly regular [5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. This presents a puzzle: if the function of petals is to attract pollinators, then flowers might be expected to optimize iridescence to increase showiness. On the other hand, pollinators memorize floral colors as consistent advertisements of reward quality, and iridescence might corrupt flower color identity. Here we tested the trade-off between flower detectability and recognition, requiring bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) to identify artificial flowers that varied in pigmentation and degree of iridescence. We find that iridescence does increase target detectability but that “perfect” iridescence (produced by an artificial diffraction grating) corrupts target identity and bees make many mistakes. However, “imperfect” floral iridescence does not lead to mistaken target identity, while still benefitting flower detectability. We hypothesize that similar trade-offs might be found in the many naturally “imperfect” iridescence-producing structures found in animal-animal, as well as other plant-animal, interactions.

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“…7, disordered grating-like structures have also been found in flower petals (Whitney et al, 2009). While the development of these structures is still not understood (Vignolini et al, 2013), their function seems important for plant-pollinator signalling (Whitney et al, 2009;Vignolini et al, 2015a;2015b). The effect of the iridescence is hard to assess due to the subtle effect of the grating compared to pigmentation underneath, and many open questions remain (van der Kooi et al, 2014;.…”

Section: Diffraction Gratingsmentioning

confidence: 99%