Abstract Detail

Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interactions

Hilpman, Evan [1], Busch, Jeremiah [2].

Floral traits differentiate pollination syndromes and taxa but fail to predict the identity of floral visitors to Castilleja.

Animal pollination is critical to plant reproduction and may cause convergent evolution of pollination syndromes. Pollinators visiting Castilleja species are assumed largely based on floral color, and are generally consistent with historical records. Here we address these questions: (i) Can Castilleja of three pollination syndromes be distinguished using floral morphological traits or volatile organic compound emissions? (ii) Is there significant variation in floral traits within the hummingbird syndrome, at the level of populations or species? and (iii) Do pollination syndromes predict the most frequent floral visitor to Castilleja? Floral traits and visitation were measured for five co-occurring Castilleja species (C. applegatei, C. linariifolia, C. miniata, C. nana, and C. peirsonii), representing three pollination syndromes (bee, fly, and hummingbird), at four sites in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and multiple linear regressions to address key questions in the differentiation of Castilleja and floral visitors. NMDS revealed that both morphological traits and floral VOCs distinguish between some pollination syndromes and Castilleja species, but within the hummingbird syndrome, there was also significant variation among populations and species. Floral trait differentiation among Castilleja individuals reflects both taxonomy and color-based definitions of pollination syndrome. Differentiation was generally more evident in morphological traits compared to VOCs. Furthermore, a priori notions of pollination syndrome in this system do not predict which animals most frequently visit Castilleja in natural populations.

1 - Washington State University, PO Box 644236, Pullman, WA, 99164, United States
2 - Washington State University, School Of Biological Sciences, PO Box 641020, Pullman, WA, 99164, United States

Keywords:
bee
Castilleja
floral morphology
fly
hummingbird
mutualism
pollination syndrome
volatile organic compounds.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: SYMB3, Symbioses: Plant, Animal and Microbe Interactions 3
Location: /
Date: Thursday, July 22nd, 2021
Time: 3:15 PM(EDT)
Number: SYMB3002
Abstract ID:471
Candidate for Awards:None