Pollinator shifts and the evolution of spur length in the moth-pollinated orchid Platanthera bifolia.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Plant-pollinator interactions are thought to have shaped much of floral evolution. Yet the relative importance of pollinator shifts and coevolutionary interactions for among-population variation in floral traits in animal-pollinated species is poorly known. This study examined the adaptive significance of spur length in the moth-pollinated orchid Platanthera bifolia.

Methods

Geographical variation in the length of the floral spur of P. bifolia was documented in relation to variation in the pollinator fauna across Scandinavia, and a reciprocal translocation experiment was conducted in south-east Sweden between a long-spurred woodland population and a short-spurred grassland population.

Key results

Spur length and pollinator fauna varied among region

SUBMITTER: Boberg E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3890388 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature