Differential reward in "male" versus "female" pollen of functionally dioecious Solanum.

ABSTRACT:

Premise

Five to six percent of angiosperm species exhibit a dioecious sexual system, with unisexual "male" or "female" flowers borne on separate plants. The consequent need for inter-individual pollen exchange is a special challenge for taxa where pollen is the sole pollinator reward. Dioecious Australian Solanum assure visits from pollen-foraging bees via production of inaperturate pollen in functionally female (morphologically bisexual) flowers. Biochemical composition of pollen from Australian Solanum has not been assessed nor compared to porate pollen from staminate flowers to reveal whether these flowers differ in their pollinator reward potential.

Methods

Porate pollen from male flowers and inaperturate pollen from functionally female flowers of two functionally dioeci

SUBMITTER: Ndem-Galbert JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9298796 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature