ABR: Selection on Corolla Size By Flower Enemies--Impact on Male Fitness

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

0087412 Galen This project addresses the maintenance of genetically based variation in characteristics related to an organism's fitness. In flowering plants, flower size represents an important trait of this kind. Pollinators typically favor plants with large flowers. Yet in nearly all species that have been studied, genes for small flowers persist. The experiments described in the present study will test whether small-flowered plants persist in nature because their flowers are more cryptic to predators. In particular, the research will test whether escape from insect predation enhances the pollen donation success of small-flowered individuals. Research will focus on a model system for studying floral evolution in the wild, the alpine wildflower Polemonium viscosum. Alpine organisms are considered early warning systems for biotic effects of climate change. By monitoring the intensity of insect predation on flowers of a common alpine wildflower, this project provides data on the severity of insect damage to plants in alpine environments. Findings also have implications for optimizing fruit and seed yield in insect-pollinated crop species including strawberries, apples and cotton. Breeding programs aimed at maximizing pollinator attraction in these crops may have inadvertent negative effects on fruit production due to responses of flower predators.