Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan is a day flower that is dependent on entomophilous pollination. Despite the lack of pollinator attractants and its short flower longevity, M. nudiflora shows high rates of fecundity, which lead to their rapid dispersal. In addition to monitoring the vegetative reproductive methods and the effect of select environmental parameters (atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation rates) in M. nudiflora, we evaluated mating systems in this species via artificial crosses. This species has evolved to undergo autogamy to ensure reproductive success when pollinators are insufficient; cleistogamous flowers are produced for optimal pollinator activity when environmental conditions are unfavorable. The number of cleistogamous flowers produced was found to be positively correlated with humidity and precipitation rates, and negatively correlated with temperature. In addition, it was found that high humidity and precipitation always hinder insect pollinators. Therefore, the combination of vegetative reproduction, entomophily, and cleistogamous self-pollination helps this weedy species to propagate with maximum efficiency. Murdannia nudiflora employs pre-anthesis cleistogamy as a mating strategy for reproductive assurance while retaining mechanisms that promote out-crossing.
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.