Flowering plants that attract a diverse range of pollinators represent a generalist pollination system. Studying these plants provides valuable information about accessibility of floral resources to pollinators, which is particularly important in areas where scarcity of flowers limits pollinator populations. Here we describe the flowering phenology, reproductive biology, and visitor community of Cleomella serrulata and Polanisia dodecandra, two native species with generalist pollination systems and limited distribution in Albertan prairies. Although their flowers are similar, they differ in traits such as petal colour, inflorescence size and nectar display. Both species were facultatively cross-pollinated and exhibited nocturnal anthesis but differed in nectar production patterns. Cleomella produced highest nectar volume in the morning and highest sugar concentration at noon; while, Polanisia produced highest nectar volume before noon but sugar concentrations were higher at sunset. We observed 150 insect taxa visiting the plants, with Hymenoptera and Diptera as the most frequent visitors for Cleomella and Polanisia respectively.We recorded the first nocturnal flower visitors for Cleomella and the first record of Synnervus plagiatus for Alberta. Both species present effective nectar and pollen resources for pollinators at the study sites and may be useful in the maintenance of native pollinators in at-risk prairie ecosystems.
Premise Cleomaceae is emerging as a promising family to investigate a wide range of phenomena, such as C 4 photosynthesis and floral diversity. However, functional techniques are lacking for elucidating this diversity. Herein, we establish virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) as a method of generating functional data for Cleome violacea , bolstering Cleomaceae as a model system. Methods We leveraged the sister relationship of Cleomaceae and Brassicaceae by using constructs readily available for Arabidopsis thaliana to provide initial information about the feasibility of VIGS in C . violacea . We then developed endogenous constructs to optimize VIGS efficiency and viability for fruit development. Results PHYTOENE DESATURASE was successfully downregulated in C . violacea using both heterologous and endogenous constructs. The endogenous construct had the highest degree of downregulation, with many plants displaying strong photobleaching. FRUITFULL ‐treated plants were also successfully downregulated, with a high rate of survival but less effective silencing; only a small percentage of survivors showed a strong phenotype. Discussion Our optimized VIGS protocol in C . violacea enables functional gene analyses at different developmental stages. Additionally, C . violacea is amenable to heterologous knockdown, which suggests that a first pass using non‐endogenous constructs is a possible route to test additional species of Cleomaceae.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.