Striking A Balance: Trade-Offs Shape Flower Diversity
Published:05 Jul.2021 Source:University of Tsukuba
Flowers come in a multitude of shapes and colors. Now, an international research team led by a researcher from Japan has proposed the novel hypothesis that trade-offs caused by different visitors may play an important role in shaping this floral diversity.
In a study published last month, the team explored how the close associations between flowers and the animals that visit them influence flower evolution. Visitors to flowers may be beneficial, like pollinators, or detrimental, like pollen thieves. All of these visitors interact with flowers in different ways and exert different selection pressures on flower traits such as color and scent. For example, a scent that attracts one pollinator may deter other potential pollinators. In this case, the flower would be expected to cater to the best pollinator.