Abstract Detail



Systematics

Moore, Douglas [1], Farman, D.I. [2], Stevenson, P.C. [3], Vallejo-Marin, Mario [4].

Floral scent changes in response to the removal of unscented pollen (Solanum sectionAndroceras).

Plants use scent to influence the recruitment, learning, and behaviour of floral visitors. In principle, changes in floral scent can provide cues of whether a flower has been visited recently,or of the amount of reward available in the flower. Floral scent changes may be particularly important in species with concealed rewards. A widespread example of concealed rewards are species with poricidal anthers, in which tubular anthers opening via small apical pores appear visually similar regardless of the amount of pollen an anther contains. To date, no study has investigated whether pollen removal is associated with floral scent change. We hypothesise that pollen removal will change the rate and chemical composition of floral scent emission. Headspace analysis of seven taxa of buzz-pollinated Solanum (Solanaceae) revealed between-species differences in floral scent composition and emission rate. Pollen removal resulted insignificant reductions of overall scent emission and the emission of linalool, a known pollinator attractant in Solanum lumholtzianum. Our findings suggest some plants with concealed floral rewards alter their scent emission to signal reward availability, but that this might be uncommon. Our findings have implications for the ecology and evolution of plant-pollinator interactions of species with visually concealed rewards.


1 - University Of Stirling, Biological And Environmental Sciences, The University Of Stirling, Stirling, STG, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
2 - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK
3 - Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
4 - University Of Stirling, Biological And Environmental Scinces, Cottrell Building, Stirling, STG, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: SYST III012
Abstract ID:1071
Candidate for Awards:None


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