Patterns of floral morphology in relation to climate and floral visitors.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

The diversity of floral morphology among plant species has long captured the interest of biologists and led to the development of a number of explanatory theories. Floral morphology varies substantially within species, and the mechanisms maintaining this diversity are diverse. One possibility is that spatial variation in the pollinator fauna drives the evolution of spatially divergent floral ecotypes adapted to the local suite of pollinators. Another possibility is that geographic variation in the abiotic environment and local climatic conditions favours different floral morphologies in different regions. Although both possibilities have been shown to explain floral variation in some cases, they have rarely been competed against one another using data collected

SUBMITTER: Weber UK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7061174 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature