The relative strength of different floral visitors driving floral evolution within a Primula secundiflora population

Floral visitor assemblages within plant populations are usually composed of different visitors, and the relative abundance of these visitors also varies. Therefore, identifying the relative strength of these floral visitors driving floral evolution within the population is an important step in predi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolutionary ecology 2018-12, Vol.32 (6), p.587-599
Main Authors: Wu, Yun, Zhong, Tao, Liu, Guang-Li, Tan, Lu-Wei, Li, Qing-Jun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Ecology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biting
Ecology
Entrances
Evolution
Evolutionary Biology
Flowers
Life Sciences
Nectar
Original Paper
Plant nectar
Plant populations
Plant reproduction
Plant Sciences
Pollination
Pollinators
Population
Primula
Relative abundance
Trajectories
Tubes
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Summary:Floral visitor assemblages within plant populations are usually composed of different visitors, and the relative abundance of these visitors also varies. Therefore, identifying the relative strength of these floral visitors driving floral evolution within the population is an important step in predicting the evolutionary trajectory of floral traits. Using supplemental hand pollination and nectar-robbing exclusion treatments, we experimentally identified the relative strengths of legitimate pollinators (that visit flowers through the corolla tube entrance) and nectar robbers (that visit flowers by biting a hole in the corolla tube or using an existing hole) driving floral evolution within the Primula secundiflora population. We also estimated legitimate pollinator- and nectar robber-mediated selection separately for pin and thrum flowers. Both legitimate pollinators and nectar robbers mediated selection on pollination efficiency traits in P. secundiflora population. Legitimate pollinators mediated selection for wider corolla tubes, whereas nectar robbers mediated selection for longer corolla tubes. In addition, nectar robber-mediated selection on corolla tube length marginally varied between the pin and thrum flowers. Nectar robber mediated selection for longer corolla tube length in the pin flowers not in the thrum flowers. These results indicate that legitimate pollinators and nectar robbers within a population can drive differential evolutionary trajectories of floral traits.
ISSN:0269-7653
1573-8477
DOI:10.1007/s10682-018-9962-3