Plant–pollinator interactions affect colonization efficiency: abundance of blue-purple flowers is correlated with species richness of bumblebees in the Arctic

Eidesen, Pernille Bronken; Little, Lorna; Müller, Eike; Dickinson, Katharine J. M.; Lord, Janice M.

doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blw006

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 59 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This shaping could have occurred through in situ natural selection for particular hues, ecological filtering (in which plant species with “inappropriate” floral hues failed to colonize lower elevation habitats because of insufficient pollination), or both. The ecological filtering argument has recently been advanced to explain why human‐blue‐purple flowers (traditionally considered attractive to bees) are rare in the Arctic (Eidesen et al., ). The frequency of human‐blue‐purple species in the Arctic is positively correlated with bumblebee species richness and negatively correlated with the extent of past glaciation, suggesting that low abundances of bee pollinators in previously glaciated areas have limited recolonization by these plant species (Eidesen et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies have generally moved from descriptions of the geography of floral colour in exclusively human terms (e.g. a series of papers from the 1870s–1890s by Victorian naturalists, see Anderson, Lovin, Richter, & Lacey, ; Eidesen, Little, Muller, Dickinson, & Lord, ; Kevan, ; Weevers, ) to mapping quantitatively modelled colour as variously perceived by bee, fly, bird and lepidopteran pollinators (e.g. Arnold, Savolainen, & Chittka, ; Dalrymple et al., ; Shrestha, Dyer, Bhattarai, & Burd, ; Shrestha et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Consistent shifts in pollinator‐relevant floral coloration along Rocky Mountain elevation gradients

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. Floral colour is a fundamental signal that shapes plant-pollinator interactions.Despite theoretical reasons why floral colours might shift in representation along biotic and abiotic gradients, few studies have examined community-level shifts in colour, and even fewer significant patterns have been detected.2. We examined floral colour on six replicated transects spanning 1,300 m in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA. Along these transects, there is a hypothesized shift from bee-dominated to fly-dominated pollination with increasing elevation. The reflectance of flowers of 110 forb and shrub species was measured using a spectrophotometer, and was used to estimate three components of colour (hue, saturation and brightness) in relevant pollinator visual spaces. Percent cover data were collected from 67 sites and used to obtain community-weighted mean (cwm) estimates of floral colour. 3. We found strong patterns of elevational change in floral colour. Reflectance cwm of shorter wavelengths (UVB through human blue, 300-500 nm) generally decreased linearly with elevation, while reflectance cwm of longer wavelengths (human green through red, 500-700 nm) showed hump-shaped patterns with highest reflectance at intermediate elevations. With respect to pollinators, saturation cwm increased significantly with elevation in both bee and fly visual spaces, while brightness contrast cwm showed a hump-shaped pattern in bee space and a decline with elevation in fly visual space. For hue, cover of species perceived as bee-blue declined with elevation, while cover of bee-UV-green species showed a hump-shaped pattern. In comparison, we detected no elevational shifts in floral hues as perceived by flies. 4. Synthesis. Hue patterns are consistent with the hypothesis that bee pollinators have shaped the geography of floral colour. The roles of fly pollinators and of abiotic drivers are more difficult to infer, although the drop in floral brightness at high elevations is consistent with predictions that low temperatures and more intense ultraviolet radiation should favour increased pigment concentrations there. Our results indicate that floral colour can be dynamic yet predictable across the landscape, a pattern that provides opportunities to tease apart the ecological and evolutionary drivers of this important plant trait. | 1911Journal of Ecology GRAY et Al.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consistent shifts in pollinator‐relevant floral coloration along Rocky Mountain elevation gradients

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Interestingly, dispersal adaptations (Table 1 ) are of no importance in the LDD processes (Alsos, Ehrich, et al, 2015 , Nathan, 2006 ). Nevertheless, species traits related specifically to dependence of pollinators are shown to influence both postglacial colonization efficiency (Alsos, Ehrich, et al, 2015 ; Eidesen et al, 2017 ) and genetic loss too. A comparative study of postglacial colonization of islands in the North Atlantic showed much stronger founder effect for insect‐pollinated mixed maters than wind‐pollinated outcrossing species (Alsos, Ehrich, et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From everywhere all at once: Several colonization routes available to Svalbard in the early Holocene

Brožová

Bolstad²,

Seregin

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Red flowers from the New World, where birds are important pollinators, are more conspicuous to birds than red flowers from the Old World (Chen et al 2020). Blue-purple flowers in the Arctic seem to be related to species richness of bumblebees showing a coevolution between flower color and pollinator species (Eidesen et al 2017). Likewise, New Zealand flora is mostly comprised of white flowers well suited for bee detection (Bischoff et al 2013).…”

Section: Flowering Season and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining factors of flower coloration

Erickson

Pessoa

2022

Acta Bot. Bras.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Diversity and distribution of flower coloration is a puzzling topic that has been extensively studied, with multiple hypotheses being proposed to account for the functions of coloration, such as pollinator attraction, protection against herbivory, and prevention of damage by ultraviolet light. Recent methodologies have allowed studies to consider the visual system of animals other than humans, helping to answer questions regarding the distribution of flower coloration. A survey of keywords in Web of Science shows floral color to be mainly studied in relation to macroevolutionary traits and biochemistry of pigments, focusing on pollination and anthocyanins, respectively. The present paper reviews mechanisms that determine the color of flowers. First, it is discussed how pigment, visual systems and signaling environments influence flower color; secondly, patterns of convergent evolution of flower color is debated, including evolutionary history, pollinator preference, flower color change, flowering season, and habitat. Third and last, patterns of flower coloration that have been found around the globe are addressed. In short, the aim is to contribute to ongoing research, by underlining mechanisms that lead to global patterns of coloration and indicating perspectives for future study on the topic.

show abstract

Plant–pollinator interactions affect colonization efficiency: abundance of blue-purple flowers is correlated with species richness of bumblebees in the Arctic

Cited by 7 publications

References 59 publications

Consistent shifts in pollinator‐relevant floral coloration along Rocky Mountain elevation gradients

Consistent shifts in pollinator‐relevant floral coloration along Rocky Mountain elevation gradients

From everywhere all at once: Several colonization routes available to Svalbard in the early Holocene

Determining factors of flower coloration

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About