Anthocyanin and Flavonol Glycoside Metabolic Pathways Underpin Floral Color Mimicry and Contrast in a Sexually Deceptive Orchid.

ABSTRACT: Sexually deceptive plants secure pollination by luring specific male insects as pollinators using a combination of olfactory, visual, and morphological mimicry. Flower color is a key component to this attraction, but its chemical and genetic basis remains poorly understood. Chiloglottis trapeziformis is a sexually deceptive orchid which has predominantly dull green-red flowers except for the central black callus projecting from the labellum lamina. The callus mimics the female of the pollinator and the stark color contrast between the black callus and dull green or red lamina is thought to enhance the visibility of the mimic. The goal of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and genetic regulation of temporal and spatial color patterns leading to visual mimicry, by

SUBMITTER: Wong DCJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8983864 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature