J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2017, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (11): 805-809.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.12579

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Fitness consequences of a clock pollinator filter in Nicotiana attenuata flowers in nature

Felipe Yon1, Danny Kessler1, Youngsung Joo1, Sang-Gyu Kim1,2* and Ian T. Baldwin1*   

  1. 1Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knöll-Straβe 8, D-07745 Jena, Germany
    2Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science, Yuseong-gu, 34047 Daejeon, South Korea

Abstract:

Nicotiana attenuata flowers, diurnally open, emit scents and move vertically to interact with nocturnal hawkmoth and day-active hummingbird pollinators. To examine the fitness consequences of these floral rhythms, we conducted pollination trials in the plant's native habitat with phase-shifted flowers of plants silenced in circadian clock genes. The results revealed that some pollination benefits observed under glasshouse conditions were not reproduced under natural field conditions. Floral arrhythmicity increased pollination success by hummingbirds, while reducing those by hawkmoths in the field. Thus, floral circadian rhythms may influence a plant's fitness by filtering pollinators leading to altered seed set from outcrossed pollen.

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