Flower Size as an Honest Signal in Royal Irises (Iris Section Oncocyclus, Iridaceae).

ABSTRACT: Flower traits, such as flower size or color changes, can act as honest signals indicating greater rewards such as nectar; however, nothing is known about shelter-rewarding systems. Large flowers of Royal irises offer overnight shelter as a reward to Eucera bees. A black patch might signal the entrance to the tunnel (shelter) and, together with the flower size, these might act as honest signals. We hypothesize that larger flowers and black patches indicate larger tunnels, and larger tunnels will increase pollinator visits, enhancing the plants' reproductive success. We measured seven species in a controlled environment and two species from three natural populations varying in flower size. Fruit and seed sets were assessed in these natural populations. We found a positive correlation

SUBMITTER: Lozada-Gobilard S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10459770 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature