Abiotic environmental variation can have dramatic effects on plant floral morphology and nectar or pollen rewards. In response, pollinators may change their foraging behavior and distribution and if pollinators change their foraging behavior or distribution, this could have dramatic effects on the reproductive success of plant populations. To start tackling this problem, we measured the response of floral morphology (corolla diameter, stamen length, and ovule number) of Raphanus raphanistrum to experimental manipulations of field soil moisture. As soil moisture increased, corolla diameter and anther length grew. We expect these changes to provide more visitation rewards for insects in moist conditions. Therefore, water availability influences growth and development of flowers, and may have dramatic effects on insect community dynamics.
KEYWORDS: Floral Rewards, Climate, Rain-out Shelters, Flower Morphology, Raphanus raphanistrum, Brassicaceae