Scent matters: differential contribution of scent to insect response in flowers with insect vs. wind pollination traits.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Growing experimental evidence that floral scent is a key contributor to pollinator attraction supports its investigation as a component of the suite of floral traits that result from pollinator-mediated selection. Yet, the fate of floral scent during the transition out of biotic into abiotic pollination has rarely been tested. In the case of wind pollination, this is due not only to its rarer incidence among flowering plants compared with insect pollination, but also to the scarcity of systems amenable to genus-level comparisons. Thalictrum (Ranunculaceae), with its multiple transitions from insect to wind pollination, offers a unique opportunity to test interspecific changes in floral fragrance and their potential impact on pollinator attraction.

Methods

SUBMITTER: Wang TN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6344221 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature