The functional role of the keel crest in Polygala myrtifolia (Polygalaceae) and its effects on pollinator visitation success

Kock, Celeste de; Minnaar, Corneile; Lunau, Klaus; Wester, Petra; Verhoeven, Christian; Schulze, M.; Randle, M.; Robson, C.; Bolus, R.H.; Anderson, Bruce

doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2018.06.011

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Plants evolved a range of specialised biomechanical adaptations to regulate access to rewards and optimise pollen transfer (Figure 2), including keel flowers 35 , lever-mechanism flowers 36,37 , trigger flowers 38,39 , explosive pollen release 40,41 , heteranthery 42 , and buzz-pollinated flowers 43 . For example, keel flowers present in many Fabaceae and Polygalaceae require floral visitors to exert a significant amount of force to access nectar and pollen rewards 37,44 . As the bee pushes its body to access nectar, the keel is pushed downwards, exposing pollen that is deposited on the bee's body.…”

Section: Morphological Gate Keeping Of Floral Rewards and How To Access Themmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutualisms and (A)symmetry in Plant–Pollinator Interactions

2021

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Section: Morphological Gate Keeping Of Floral Rewards and How To Access Themmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutualisms and (A)symmetry in Plant–Pollinator Interactions

2021

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“…Accordingly, oral traits evolving via pollinator-mediated selection affect pollination and foraging success. In particular, pollinator-mediated selection on owering plants favours the evolution of oral traits that enhance the dispersal of pollen to pollinators and maximize the transfer of pollen to conspeci c stigmas, while simultaneously minimizing pollen wastage (e.g., pollen lost or consumed as food by the pollinator) (Harder and Wilson 1994;De Kock et al 2018). Yet while the functional effects of oral traits should depend on how plant and pollinator interact (e.g., Fukuda et Modi cations of anther architecture (i.e., sizes, degree of fusion, and spatial/functional connections) are common and thought to signi cantly affect ower function (Endress 2012;Nevard et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hold tight or loosen up? Functional consequences of a shift in anther architecture depend substantially on bee body size

et al. 2022

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A fundamental question in pollination ecology is how pollinators affect the evolution of different oral forms. Yet functional effects of shifts in oral form for plant and pollinator are frequently unclear. For instance, owers that conceal pollen within tube-like anthers that are spread apart and move freely (free architecture) or are tightly joined together (joined architecture) have evolved independently across diverse plant families and are geographically widespread. Surprisingly, how their bee pollinators affect the function of both architectures remains unknown. We hypothesized that bee body size would affect foraging success and pollination differently for free and joined anther architectures. We therefore modi ed the anther architecture of a single plant species (Solanum elaeagnifolium) and used a single species of generalist bumble bee (Bombus impatiens), which varies greatly in body size. We found that on free anther architecture, larger bees were better pollinators. More pollen on their bodies was available for pollination and they deposited more pollen on stigmas. Conversely, on joined anther architecture, smaller bees were better pollinators. They collected less pollen into their pollen baskets, had more pollen on their bodies available for pollination, and deposited more pollen on stigmas. While we also found modest evidence that plants bene t more from joined versus free anther architecture, further investigation will likely reveal this also depends on pollinator traits. We discuss potential mechanisms by which pollinator size and anther architecture interact and implications for oral evolution.

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“…The beard of the petal tip in Polygala myrtifola looks like an androecium-mimicking structure (Fig. 7A) but has been shown to function as a device to open the flowers through the abdomen of Xylocopa bees pressing the beard downwards (De Kock et al 2018). The yellow UV-absorbing and translucent window of the two-spurred Diascia flowers is thought to serve as an orientation cue for oilcollecting bees (Steiner 1990; Fig.…”

Section: Common Signals Among Diverse Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen, anther, stamen, and androecium mimicry

Lunau,

De Camargo,

Brito

2024

Plant Biol J

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Floral colours represent a highly diverse communication signal mainly involved in flower visitors' attraction and guidance, but also flower discrimination, filtering non‐pollinators and discouraging floral antagonists. The divergent visual systems and colour preferences of flower visitors, as well as the necessity of cues for flower detection and discrimination, foster the diversity of floral colours and colour patterns. Despite the bewildering diversity of floral colour patterns, a recurrent component is a yellow UV‐absorbing floral centre, and it is still not clear why this pattern is so frequent in angiosperms. The pollen, anther, stamen, and androecium mimicry (PASAM) hypothesis suggests that the system composed of the flowers possessing such yellow UV‐absorbing floral reproductive structures, the flowers displaying central yellow UV‐absorbing structures as floral guides, and the pollen‐collecting, as well as pollen‐eating, flower visitors responding to such signals constitute the world's most speciose mimicry system. In this review, we call the attention of researchers to some hypothetical PASAM systems around the globe, presenting some fascinating examples that illustrate their huge diversity. We will also present new and published data on pollen‐eating and pollen‐collecting pollinators' responses to PASAM structures supporting the PASAM hypothesis and will discuss how widespread these systems are around the globe. Ultimately, our goal is to promote the idea that PASAM is a plausible first approach to understanding floral colour patterns in angiosperms.

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The functional role of the keel crest in Polygala myrtifolia (Polygalaceae) and its effects on pollinator visitation success

Cited by 10 publications

References 36 publications

Mutualisms and (A)symmetry in Plant–Pollinator Interactions

Mutualisms and (A)symmetry in Plant–Pollinator Interactions

Hold tight or loosen up? Functional consequences of a shift in anther architecture depend substantially on bee body size

Pollen, anther, stamen, and androecium mimicry

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