Why do so many petals have conical epidermal cells?

Whitney, Heather M.; Bennett, Kate; Dorling, Matthew; Sandbach, Lucy; Prince, D. C.; Chittka, Lars; Glover, Beverley J.

doi:10.1093/aob/mcr065

Cited by 155 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…We assume there would be a different impact of wrinkle alignment on insect attachment in combination with other prominent surface structures in contrast to the smooth, flat, wrinkled surfaces used in the present study. This assumption is supported by previous reports on flower petal surfaces, where conical cells act as tactile cues for pollinating bees and bumblebees (Kevan and Lane, 1985;Whitney et al, 2009;Whitney et al, 2011), because those conical cells are frequently covered with cuticle folds. Probably, the feet of flower-visiting insects, which are known to walk and attach properly on prominently wrinkled petal surfaces, are more strongly adapted to cuticle folds than those of the beetle species used in the present study.…”

Section: A C Bsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Entomophilous flower surfaces have generally been observed to provide structures promoting attachment for pollinators (Kugler, 1970;Kevan and Lane, 1985;Whitney et al, 2009;Whitney et al, 2011;Koch et al, 2010). Because anisotropic cuticle folds occur frequently on flower surfaces, one could suppose them to be involved in the attachment support for pollinators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Leaf beetle attachment on wrinkles: isotropic friction on anisotropic surfaces

Voigt

Schweikart

Fery

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY The influence of surface roughness on the attachment ability of insects has been repeatedly reported. In previous experiments, complex surface topographies were used as test substrates, whereas periodical structures have so far been neglected. In the present study, traction experiments with adult beetles Gastrophysa viridula and Leptinotarsa decemlineata were carried out to study the influence of surfaces, structured with periodical wrinkles, on insect attachment. Force measurements were carried out on male and female insects, both intact and after removal of claws, performing tethered walking on five polydimethylsiloxane substrates: (i) smooth, non-structured (control), (ii–v) structured with wrinkles of different wavelengths (366, 502, 911 and 25,076 nm). In two test series, beetles walked either perpendicular or parallel to the wrinkle alignment. Adults of G. viridula produced generally higher forces than those of L. decemlineata. The results show that the alignment of wrinkles had no significant influence on the force generation by beetles, probably because of the skewed position of their tarsomeres relative to the substrates. In both sexes, the highest force values were obtained on surfaces with wrinkles of 25 μm wavelength. On other wrinkled substrates, forces were significantly reduced in both males and females compared with the smooth, flat control, with the minimum force achieved on wrinkles with a wavelength of 911 nm.

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Section: A C Bsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaf beetle attachment on wrinkles: isotropic friction on anisotropic surfaces

Voigt

Schweikart

Fery

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…As in the majority of flowers, the adaxial epidermis of the rose is characterized by conical papillate cells [13,21] (electronic supplementary material). For the rose, we observe a diffusive scattering of light without an increase in signal in the specular direction.…”

Section: Spectroscopic Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directional scattering from the glossy flower of Ranunculus : how the buttercup lights up your chin

Vignolini

Thomas

Kolle

et al. 2011

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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The bright and glossy appearance of the flowers of Ranunculus repens was investigated spectroscopically and the optical results were correlated with the layered anatomy of the petal. The highly directional reflected light arises from the partially transparent, pigment-bearing epidermal layer, while a more diffused yellow colour is the result of scattering from the lower starch layer. This directionality of the light reflections causes the unusually intense gloss of the buttercup flower and the strong yellow reflection evident when holding the flower under the chin.

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“…It is well established that petals are covered by cuticles comparable to those on vegetative organs (Whitney et al, 2011). The waxes coating all primary parts of shoots consist of very-long-chain compounds, including alkanes, aldehydes, primary and secondary alcohols, fatty acids, esters, and ketones ranging in chain length from 20 to 70 carbons .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Wax Layers onCosmos bipinnatusPetals Contribute Unequally to Total Petal Water Resistance

2014

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V6T 1Z1 (R.J.) Cuticular waxes coat all primary aboveground plant organs as a crucial adaptation to life on land. Accordingly, the properties of waxes have been studied in much detail, albeit with a strong focus on leaf and fruit waxes. Flowers have life histories and functions largely different from those of other organs, and it remains to be seen whether flower waxes have compositions and physiological properties differing from those on other organs. This work provides a detailed characterization of the petal waxes, using Cosmos bipinnatus as a model, and compares them with leaf and stem waxes. The abaxial petal surface is relatively flat, whereas the adaxial side consists of conical epidermis cells, rendering it approximately 3.8 times larger than the projected petal area. The petal wax was found to contain unusually high concentrations of C 22 and C 24 fatty acids and primary alcohols, much shorter than those in leaf and stem waxes. Detailed analyses revealed distinct differences between waxes on the adaxial and abaxial petal sides and between epicuticular and intracuticular waxes. Transpiration resistances equaled 3 3 10 4 and 1.5 3 10 4 s m 21 for the adaxial and abaxial surfaces, respectively. Petal surfaces of C. bipinnatus thus impose relatively weak water transport barriers compared with typical leaf cuticles. Approximately two-thirds of the abaxial surface water barrier was found to reside in the epicuticular wax layer of the petal and only one-third in the intracuticular wax. Altogether, the flower waxes of this species had properties greatly differing from those on vegetative organs.

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Why do so many petals have conical epidermal cells?

Abstract: Conical epidermal cells can influence a diverse set of petal properties. The fitness benefits they provide to plants are likely to vary with pollinator and habitat, and models are now required to understand how these different factors interact.

Cited by 155 publications

References 46 publications

Leaf beetle attachment on wrinkles: isotropic friction on anisotropic surfaces

Leaf beetle attachment on wrinkles: isotropic friction on anisotropic surfaces

Directional scattering from the glossy flower of Ranunculus : how the buttercup lights up your chin

Wax Layers onCosmos bipinnatusPetals Contribute Unequally to Total Petal Water Resistance

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