Flower power: its association with bee power and floral functional morphology in papilionate legumes

Córdoba, Silvina Alejandra; Cocucci, Andrea A.

doi:10.1093/aob/mcr196

Cited by 69 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…those in which the access to rewards requires that pollinators exert a mechanical force, should present a distinctive pattern of modularity among floral traits, because traits associated with the forcible pollination mechanism need to be intercorrelated to ensure flower functionality. Here, we will to test this idea for the case of keel flowers (Westerkamp and Weber 1999), in which rewards are concealed by specialized corolla structures (namely, the keel and the wings) and where pollinators have to exert force to manipulate a complex mechanism, in order to obtain these rewards (Faegri and van der Pijl 1966;Córdoba and Cocucci 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, although other studies have considered biomechanical aspects of flower mechanisms (Brantjes 1981a, b;Brantjes and De Vos 1981;Cocucci 1989;Sérsic 1991;Whitaker et al 2007;Sprayberry and Suver 2011;Muchhala and Thomson 2009), only a few (Brantjes 1981a, b;Claßen-Bockhoff et al 2004;Reith et al 2007;Córdoba and Cocucci 2011) have quantified the force needed to operate a floral mechanism. In the case of keel flowers, it was possible to correlate the force necessary to open the keel with morphometric variables to detect the group of floral traits that constitute a functional module (see Córdoba and Cocucci 2011). This methodology is not based on the analysis of covariation patterns among morphological traits, but instead on their functional association with the biomechanical performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, pollinators should avoid flowers that are too hard to open and select more rewarding ones. On the other hand, flowers that are very weak allow most visitors to access rewards (Córdoba and Cocucci 2011), thereby increasing the risk that some of them behave as nectar or pollen robbers. Consequently, it has been proposed that keel flowers (Westerkamp 1997) and other mechanisms of nectar concealment Santamaría 2004, 2005) have evolved to exclude undesired visitors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

2015

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Flowers may be interpreted as complex combinations of organs functionally coordinated to attract pollinators and to mechanically interact with the pollinator's body, particularly when flower mechanisms are actively handled by pollinators. Thus, a functional modularity of traits in keel flowers (Fabaceae) was expected because of a compartmentalization between attraction and mechanical functions. To test this hypothesis, we used Collaea argentina, a Fabaceae that exhibits typical keel flowers. The force needed to open keels, the keel displacement angle and floral morphometric traits in 100 plants from a natural population were measured to detect floral characters correlated with the biomechanical variables. Furthermore, we examined the relationships among this functional module, biomechanical variables and female reproductive success to explore whether these traits are the targets of pollinator-mediated phenotypic selection, and used path analysis to examine the causal relationship among these variables. A functional module formed by two morphometric traits of the petals directly involved in the floral mechanism (keel and wings) was found, but no flag trait was involved in this module. Even though the functional module had a positive effect on force and there were significant relationships between the displacement angle and fruit set, no significant effect of force on female reproductive success was detected. These results question whether selection currently plays a role favouring the integration of this module, but this may be consistent with a past stabilizing selection on the force needed to open the keel.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

2015

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“…Los pétalos de la corola jugarían un papel importante en los diferentes mecanismos de polinización existentes, como fue sugerido para toda la subfamilia Papilionoideae (Stirton, 1981;Arroyo, 1981;Westerkamp, 1997;López et al, 1999;Galloni & Cristofolini, 2003;Salomón Raju & Purnachandra Rao, 2006;Galloni et al, 2007;Etcheverry et al, 2003Etcheverry et al, , 2008Aronne et al, 2012;Alemán et al, 2014), en la que el único grupo de visitantes florales capaces de activar dichos mecanismos, por su tamaño corporal y conducta de forrajeo, serían las abejas (Córdoba & Cocucci, 2011). Las especies estudiadas responden, de esta manera, al patrón general descripto para las especies de la Subfamilia Papilionoideae el cual estaría vinculado con la polinización por Hymenoptera.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Fusión, esculturas y ornamentaciones de las piezas de la corola de 17 especies de Papilionoideae.

Alemán¹,

Hoc²,

Spahr³

et al. 2017

Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot.

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Summary: Fusion, sculptures and ornamentation of the corolla pieces of 17 species of Papilionoideae. The species of subfamily Papilionoideae present flowers with a complex architecture, with elaborated petals in which it has been documented the presence of auricles and callosities, appendixes or spurs that joint the pieces of the corolla and also microsculpturings on the wings. In this study, we analyze the morphology of the petals of 17 species of Papilionoideae (Leguminosae) native of Salta province, Argentina. The lower margins of the keel were fused in all of the species, through different types of fusion of epidermal cells. Only a few species presented fusion in the upper margin of the keel. All the species showed sculpturings in the petals, which would joint some of the pieces of the corolla. They also exhibit ornaments or microsculpturings in the basal region of the adaxial surface of the wings that may act as a grip for pollinators when they land on the flower. The petals of the Papilionoideae flowers presented characteristics that could restrict the type of pollinator able to activate the different mechanisms of pollination that allow them to access the rewards enclosed by the keel.Key words: Floral biology, Leguminosae, ornaments, petals, pollination mechanisms, sculpturings.Resumen: Las flores de la subfamilia Papilionoideae tienen una arquitectura compleja con pétalos elaborados, en los que se ha observado la presencia de aurículas o callosidades, apéndices o espolones que articulan las piezas entre sí y de ornamentaciones principalmente en las alas. En este trabajo se analizó la morfología de las piezas de la corola de 17 especies de Papilionoideae (Leguminosae) nativas de la provincia de Salta. Todas las especies presentaron fusión entre los márgenes inferiores de la quilla que involucraba diferentes tipos de uniones a nivel de las células epidérmicas. Solo algunas de las especies estudiadas presentaron fusión en los márgenes superiores de la quilla. Todas las especies presentaron esculturas en los pétalos que servirían para articular las piezas de la corola entre sí. También presentaron ornamentaciones o microesculturaciones ubicadas en la región basal de la cara adaxial de las alas, que favorecerían el sostén de los visitantes al posarse sobre ellas. Los pétalos de las flores de Papilionoideae presentaron características que podrían restringir el tipo de polinizador capaz de activar los distintos mecanismos de polinización que le permiten acceder a las recompensas encerradas por la quilla.Palabras clave: Biología floral, esculturas, Leguminosae, mecanismos de polinización, ornamentaciones, pétalos.

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“…The mutants generated during these studies have provided insight into how pollinators forage to optimise their energy return. In wild type flowers bumblebees alight on the landing platform and generate sufficient force to open the palate and access the nectar, whereas other insects cannot; for example honey bees, which can only exert around a tenth of the force of bumblebees [73]. Mutants with all their petals ventralised are closed and inaccessible to pollinators (BJG, unpublished data).…”

Section: E Optimising Efficiency Of Reward Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How can an understanding of plant–pollinator interactions contribute to global food security?

Bailes

Ollerton

Pattrick

et al. 2015

Current Opinion in Plant Biology

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Pollination of crops by animals is an essential part of global food production, but evidence suggests that wild pollinator populations may be declining while a number of problems are besetting managed honey bee colonies. Animal-pollinated crops grown today, bred in an environment where pollination was less likely to limit fruit set, are often suboptimal in attracting and sustaining their pollinator populations. Research into plant-pollinator interactions is often conducted in a curiosity-driven, ecological framework, but may inform breeding and biotechnological approaches to enhance pollinator attraction and crop yield. In this article we review key topics in current plant-pollinator research that have potential roles in future crop breeding for enhanced global food security.

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Flower power: its association with bee power and floral functional morphology in papilionate legumes

Cited by 69 publications

References 27 publications

Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

Functional modularity in a forcible flower mechanism: relationships among morphology, biomechanical features and fitness

Fusión, esculturas y ornamentaciones de las piezas de la corola de 17 especies de Papilionoideae.

How can an understanding of plant–pollinator interactions contribute to global food security?

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