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Huang W, Xu B, Guo W, Huang Z, Li Y, Wu W. De novo genome assembly and population genomics of a shrub tree Barthea barthei (Hance) krass provide insights into the adaptive color variations. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1365686. [PMID: 38751846 PMCID: PMC11094225 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1365686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Flower color is a classic example of an ecologically important trait under selection in plants. Understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying shifts in flower color can provide key insights into ecological speciation. In this study, we investigated the genetic basis of flower color divergence in Barthea barthei, a shrub tree species exhibiting natural variation in flower color. We assembled a high-quality genome assembly for B. barthei with a contig N50 of 2.39 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 16.21 Mb. The assembly was annotated with 46,430 protein-coding genes and 1,560 non-coding RNAs. Genome synteny analysis revealed two recent tetraploidization events in B. barthei, estimated to have occurred at approximately 17 and 63 million years ago. These tetraploidization events resulted in massive duplicated gene content, with over 70% of genes retained in collinear blocks. Gene family members of the core regulators of the MBW complex were significantly expanded in B. barthei compared to Arabidopsis, suggesting that these duplications may have provided raw genetic material for the evolution of novel regulatory interactions and the diversification of anthocyanin pigmentation. Transcriptome profiling of B. barthei flowers revealed differential expression of 9 transcription factors related to anthocyanin biosynthesis between the two ecotypes. Six of these differentially expressed transcription factors were identified as high-confidence candidates for adaptive evolution based on positive selection signals. This study provides insights into the genetic basis of flower color divergence and the evolutionary mechanisms underlying ecological adaptation in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weicheng Huang
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
- South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bin Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Guo
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zecheng Huang
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongquan Li
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Wu
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
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Lev-Yadun S. Visual-, Olfactory-, and Nectar-Taste-Based Flower Aposematism. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:391. [PMID: 38337924 PMCID: PMC10857241 DOI: 10.3390/plants13030391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Florivory, i.e., flower herbivory, of various types is common and can strongly reduce plant fitness. Flowers suffer two very different types of herbivory: (1) the classic herbivory of consuming tissues and (2) nectar theft. Unlike the non-reversibility of consumed tissues, nectar theft, while potentially reducing a plant's fitness by lowering its attraction to pollinators, can, in various cases, be fixed quickly by the production of additional nectar. Therefore, various mechanisms to avoid or reduce florivory have evolved. Here, I focus on one of the flowers' defensive mechanisms, aposematism, i.e., warning signaling to avoid or at least reduce herbivory via the repelling of herbivores. While plant aposematism of various types was almost ignored until the year 2000, it is a common anti-herbivory defense mechanism in many plant taxa, operating visually, olfactorily, and, in the case of nectar, via a bitter taste. Flower aposematism has received only very little focused attention as such, and many of the relevant publications that actually demonstrated herbivore repellence and avoidance learning following flower signaling did not refer to repellence as aposematism. Here, I review what is known concerning visual-, olfactory-, and nectar-taste-based flower aposematism, including some relevant cases of mimicry, and suggest some lines for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simcha Lev-Yadun
- Department of Biology & Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa-Oranim, Tivon 36006, Israel
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Luong Y, Gasca‐Herrera A, Misiewicz TM, Carter BE. A pipeline for the rapid collection of color data from photographs. APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES 2023; 11:e11546. [PMID: 37915431 PMCID: PMC10617320 DOI: 10.1002/aps3.11546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Premise There are relatively few studies of flower color at landscape scales that can address the relative importance of competing mechanisms (e.g., biotic: pollinators; abiotic: ultraviolet radiation, drought stress) at landscape scales. Methods We developed an R shiny pipeline to sample color from images that were automatically downloaded using query results from a search using iNaturalist or the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The pipeline was used to sample ca. 4800 North American wallflower (Erysimum, Brassicaceae) images from iNaturalist. We tested whether flower color was distributed non-randomly across the landscape and whether spatial patterns were correlated with climate. We also used images including ColorCheckers to compare analyses of raw images to color-calibrated images. Results Flower color was strongly non-randomly distributed spatially, but did not correlate strongly with climate, with most of the variation explained instead by spatial autocorrelation. However, finer-scale patterns including local correlations between elevation and color were observed. Analyses using color-calibrated and raw images revealed similar results. Discussion This pipeline provides users the ability to rapidly capture color data from iNaturalist images and can be a useful tool in detecting spatial or temporal changes in color using citizen science data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Luong
- Biological SciencesSan Jose State UniversitySan Jose, California95192USA
| | | | - Tracy M. Misiewicz
- University and Jepson HerbariaUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeley, California94720USA
| | - Benjamin E. Carter
- Biological SciencesSan Jose State UniversitySan Jose, California95192USA
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Koski MH, Galloway LF, Busch JW. Hybrid breakdown is elevated near the historical cores of a species' range. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220070. [PMID: 35291839 PMCID: PMC8924771 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
New species form when they become reproductively isolated. A classic model of speciation posits that derived mutations appear in isolated populations and reduce fitness when combined in hybrids. While these Bateson-Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities are known to accumulate as populations diverge over time, they may also reflect the amount of standing genetic variation within populations. We analysed the fitness of F2 hybrids in crosses between 24 populations of a plant species (Campanula americana) with broad variation in standing genetic variation and genetic differentiation driven by post-glacial range expansions. Hybrid breakdown varied substantially and was strongest between populations near the historical cores of the species range where within-population genetic diversity was high. Nearly half of the variation in hybrid breakdown was predicted by the combined effects of standing genetic variation within populations, their pairwise genetic differentiation and differences in the climates they inhabit. Hybrid breakdown was enhanced between populations inhabiting distinct climates, likely reflecting local adaptation. Results support that the mutations causing hybrid breakdown, the raw material for speciation, are more common in long-inhabited areas of the species range. Genetic diversity harboured in refugial areas is thus an important source of incompatibilities critical to the speciation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H. Koski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 134 Long Hall, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Laura F. Galloway
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, PO Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Jeremiah W. Busch
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, PO Box 644236, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
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Rosas U, Fuentes-Pérez ES, Cervantes CR, Sandoval-Zapotitla E, Santiago-Sandoval I, Arias S, Reyes-Santiago J. Evolution of flower allometry and pigmentation in Mammillaria haageana (Cactaceae). BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:52. [PMID: 35078406 PMCID: PMC8787947 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-021-03386-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A puzzle in evolution is the understanding of how the environment might drive subtle phenotypic variation, and whether this variation is adaptive. Under the neutral evolutionary theory, subtle phenotypes are almost neutral with little adaptive value. To test this idea, we studied the infraspecific variation in flower shape and color in Mammillaria haageana, a species with a wide geographical distribution and phenotypic variation, which populations are often recognized as infraspecific taxa. RESULTS We collected samples from wild populations, kept them in the greenhouse for at least one reproductive year, and collected newly formed flowers. Our first objective was to characterize tepal natural variation in M. haageana through geometric morphometric and multivariate pigmentation analyses. We used landmark-based morphometrics to quantify the trends of shape variation and tepal color-patterns in 20 M. haageana accessions, belonging to five subspecies, plus 8 M. albilanata accessions for comparison as the sister species. We obtained eight geometric morphometric traits for tepal shape and color-patterns. We found broad variation in these traits between accessions belonging to the same subspecies, without taxonomic congruence with those infraspecific units. Also the phenetic cluster analysis showed different grouping patterns among accessions. When we correlated these phenotypes to the environment, we also found that solar radiation might explain the variation in tepal shape and color, suggesting that subtle variation in flower phenotypes might be adaptive. Finally we present anatomical sections in M. haageana subsp. san-angelensis to propose some of the underlying tepal structural features that may give rise to tepal variation. CONCLUSIONS Our geometric morphometric approach of flower shape and color allowed us to identify the main trends of variation in each accession and putative subspecies, but also allowed us to correlate these variation to the environment, and propose anatomical mechanisms underlying this diversity of flower phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulises Rosas
- Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Elisa Sofía Fuentes-Pérez
- Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Cristian R Cervantes
- Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Estela Sandoval-Zapotitla
- Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Itzel Santiago-Sandoval
- Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Salvador Arias
- Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jerónimo Reyes-Santiago
- Jardín Botánico, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, Mexico
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Ahmad S, Chen J, Chen G, Huang J, Zhou Y, Zhao K, Lan S, Liu Z, Peng D. Why Black Flowers? An Extreme Environment and Molecular Perspective of Black Color Accumulation in the Ornamental and Food Crops. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:885176. [PMID: 35498642 PMCID: PMC9047182 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.885176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Pollinators are attracted to vibrant flower colors. That is why flower color is the key agent to allow successful fruit set in food or ornamental crops. However, black flower color is the least attractive to pollinators, although a number of plant species produce black flowers. Cyanidin-based anthocyanins are thought to be the key agents to induce black color in the ornamental and fruit crops. R2R3-MYB transcription factors (TFs) play key roles for the tissue-specific accumulation of anthocyanin. MYB1 and MYB11 are the key TFs regulating the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes for black color accumulation. Post-transcriptional silencing of flavone synthase II (FNS) gene is the technological method to stimulate the accumulation of cyanidin-based anthocyanins in black cultivars. Type 1 promoter of DvIVS takes the advantage of FNS silencing to produce large amounts of black anthocyanins. Exogenous ethylene application triggers anthocyanin accumulation in the fruit skin at ripening. Environment cues have been the pivotal regulators to allow differential accumulation of anthocyanins to regulate black color. Heat stress is one of the most important environmental stimulus that regulates concentration gradient of anthocyanins in various plant parts, thereby affecting the color pattern of flowers. Stability of black anthocyanins in the extreme environments can save the damage, especially in fruits, caused by abiotic stress. White flowers without anthocyanin face more damages from abiotic stress than dark color flowers. The intensity and pattern of flower color accumulation determine the overall fruit set, thereby controlling crop yield and human food needs. This review paper presents comprehensive knowledge of black flower regulation as affected by high temperature stress, and the molecular regulators of anthocyanin for black color in ornamental and food crops. It also discusses the black color-pollination interaction pattern affected by heat stress for food and ornamental crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagheer Ahmad
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jinliao Chen
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Guizhen Chen
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jie Huang
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yuzhen Zhou
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Kai Zhao
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Siren Lan
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zhongjian Liu
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Zhongjian Liu,
| | - Donghui Peng
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- Donghui Peng,
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Kreiner JM, Caballero A, Wright SI, Stinchcombe JR. Selective ancestral sorting and de novo evolution in the agricultural invasion of Amaranthus tuberculatus. Evolution 2021; 76:70-85. [PMID: 34806764 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The relative role of hybridization, de novo evolution, and standing variation in weed adaptation to agricultural environments is largely unknown. In Amaranthus tuberculatus, a widespread North American agricultural weed, adaptation is likely influenced by recent secondary contact and admixture of two previously isolated lineages. We characterized the extent of adaptation and phenotypic differentiation accompanying the spread of A. tuberculatus into agricultural environments and the contribution of ancestral divergence. We generated phenotypic and whole-genome sequence data from a manipulative common garden experiment, using paired samples from natural and agricultural populations. We found strong latitudinal, longitudinal, and sex differentiation in phenotypes, and subtle differences among agricultural and natural environments that were further resolved with ancestry inference. The transition into agricultural environments has favored southwestern var. rudis ancestry that leads to higher biomass and treatment-specific phenotypes: increased biomass and earlier flowering under reduced water availability, and reduced plasticity in fitness-related traits. We also detected de novo adaptation in individuals from agricultural habitats independent of ancestry effects, including marginally higher biomass, later flowering, and treatment-dependent divergence in time to germination. Therefore, the invasion of A. tuberculatus into agricultural environments has drawn on adaptive variation across multiple timescales-through both preadaptation via the preferential sorting of var. rudis ancestry and de novo local adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Kreiner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Current Address: Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Current Address: Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Amalia Caballero
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Stephen I Wright
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John R Stinchcombe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Koffler Scientific Reserve, University of Toronto, King City, ON, L7B 1K5, Canada
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Ghosh T, Kandpal S, Rani C, Pathak DK, Tanwar M, Chaudhary A, Jha HC, Kumar R. Atypical Green Luminescence from Raw Cassia Siamea Extract: A Comparison with Red Emitting Tinospora Cordifolia. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:5981-5986. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c00650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tanushree Ghosh
- Materials and Device Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
| | - Suchita Kandpal
- Materials and Device Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
| | - Chanchal Rani
- Materials and Device Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
| | - Devesh K. Pathak
- Materials and Device Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
| | - Manushree Tanwar
- Materials and Device Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
| | - Anjali Chaudhary
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering University of Wisconsin-Madison 1509 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Hem C. Jha
- Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar
- Materials and Device Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
- Centre for Advanced Electronics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
- Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India
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Sobral M, Neylan IP, Narbona E, Dirzo R. Transgenerational Plasticity in Flower Color Induced by Caterpillars. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:617815. [PMID: 33790921 PMCID: PMC8006444 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.617815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Variation in flower color due to transgenerational plasticity could stem directly from abiotic or biotic environmental conditions. Finding a link between biotic ecological interactions across generations and plasticity in flower color would indicate that transgenerational effects of ecological interactions, such as herbivory, might be involved in flower color evolution. We conducted controlled experiments across four generations of wild radish (Raphanus sativus, Brassicaceae) plants to explore whether flower color is influenced by herbivory, and to determine whether flower color is associated with transgenerational chromatin modifications. We found transgenerational effects of herbivory on flower color, partly related to chromatin modifications. Given the presence of herbivory in plant populations worldwide, our results are of broad significance and contribute to our understanding of flower color evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mar Sobral
- Departamento de Biología Funcional, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, USC, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Isabelle P. Neylan
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Eduardo Narbona
- Departamento de Biología Molecular e Ingeniería Bioquímica, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
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10
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Sullivan CN, Koski MH. The effects of climate change on floral anthocyanin polymorphisms. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202693. [PMID: 33653138 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigmentation affords resistance to abiotic stressors, and thus can respond adaptively or plastically to drought and extreme temperatures associated with global change. Plants frequently display variability in flower coloration that is underlain by anthocyanin pigmentation. While anthocyanin polymorphisms impact plant-animal interactions, they also impact reproductive performance under abiotic stress. We used descriptions of flower colour from over 1900 herbarium records representing 12 North American species spanning 124 years to test whether anthocyanin-based flower colour has responded to global change. Based on demonstrated abiotic associations with performance of anthocyanin colour morphs, we predicted pigmentation would increase in species experiencing increased aridity, but decline in those experiencing larger increases in temperature. We found that the frequency of reports of pigmented morphs increased temporally in some taxa but displayed subtle declines in others. Pigmentation was negatively associated with temperature and positively associated with vapour pressure deficit (a metric of aridity) across taxa. Species experiencing larger temperature increases over time displayed reductions in pigmentation, while those experiencing increases in aridity displayed increases in pigmentation. Change in anthocyanin-based floral colour was thus linked with climatic change. Altered flower coloration has the strong potential to impact plant-animal interactions and overall plant reproductive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cierra N Sullivan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Matthew H Koski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
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Ellis AG, Anderson B, Kemp JE. Geographic Mosaics of Fly Pollinators With Divergent Color Preferences Drive Landscape-Scale Structuring of Flower Color in Daisy Communities. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:617761. [PMID: 33597961 PMCID: PMC7882612 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.617761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The striking variation in flower color across and within Angiosperm species is often attributed to divergent selection resulting from geographic mosaics of pollinators with different color preferences. Despite the importance of pollinator mosaics in driving floral divergence, the distributions of pollinators and their color preferences are seldom quantified. The extensive mass-flowering displays of annual daisy species in Namaqualand, South Africa, are characterized by striking color convergence within communities, but also color turnover within species and genera across large geographic scales. We aimed to determine whether shifts between orange and white-flowered daisy communities are driven by the innate color preferences of different pollinators or by soil color, which can potentially affect the detectability of different colored flowers. Different bee-fly pollinators dominated in both community types so that largely non-overlapping pollinator distributions were strongly associated with different flower colors. Visual modeling demonstrated that orange and white-flowered species are distinguishable in fly vision, and choice experiments demonstrated strongly divergent color preferences. We found that the dominant pollinator in orange communities has a strong spontaneous preference for orange flowers, which was not altered by conditioning. Similarly, the dominant pollinator in white communities exhibited an innate preference for white flowers. Although detectability of white flowers varied across soil types, background contrast did not alter color preferences. These findings demonstrate that landscape-level flower color turnover across Namaqua daisy communities is likely shaped by a strong qualitative geographic mosaic of bee-fly pollinators with divergent color preferences. This is an unexpected result given the classically generalist pollination phenotype of daisies. However, because of the dominance of single fly pollinator species within communities, and the virtual absence of bees as pollinators, we suggest that Namaqua daisies function as pollination specialists despite their generalist phenotypes, thus facilitating differentiation of flower color by pollinator shifts across the fly pollinator mosaic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan G. Ellis
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
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