Floral shape and color impact heat accumulation and thermal stability of the floral microenvironment in a subalpine meadow.

ABSTRACT:

Premise

The floral thermal microenvironment impacts plant reproduction through its effects on gametophyte performance and plant-pollinator interactions. Color and shape are axes of floral variation that may mediate floral temperature because they affect the absorption and reflection of solar radiation, but their interactive effects are unclear. Additionally, near infrared (NIR) reflectance is important for organismal temperature, but the contribution of petal NIR reflectance to floral temperature has not been assessed.

Methods

In a subalpine meadow during peak solar radiation, we continuously tracked temperature of the floral microenvironment and air temperature outside of flowers for species that differed in floral shape and dominant floral color (yellow vs. anthocyanic [pi

SUBMITTER: Apland JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12816434 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature