By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Life Science Weekly -- New research on Life Science Research - Plant Biology is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Michoacan, Mexico, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “In sexually dimorphic species, hermaphrodite flowers in gynodioecious species or male flowers in dioecious species are often larger and produce more nectar than their conspecific female flowers. As a consequence, hermaphrodite or male flowers frequently receive more pollinator visits.”
Financial support for this research came from Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia.
Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Michoacana, “Sex ratio, flower size, floral display, nectar production and floral visits were evaluated in two natural populations of Fuchsia thymifolia, a morphologically gynodioecious but functionally subdioecious insect-pollinated shrub. Sex ratio did not differ from the expected 1:1 in the two studied populations. As expected, hermaphrodite flowers were larger than female flowers, but in contrast to the general pattern, hermaphrodite flowers did not produce nectar or produced much less than female flowers. Flower visitors were flies (68%) and bumblebees (24%), both of which showed a preference for female flowers. No sex difference was detected in either flower longevity or floral display across the flowering season. Higher nectar production by females may attract more pollinators, and may be a strategy to enhance female reproductive success in this species.”
According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Finally, floral dimorphism and insect preferences did not seem to hamper the maintenance of sub-dioecy or prevent the evolution of dioecy in F.thymifolia.”
For more information on this research see: Small but attractive: female-biased nectar production and floral visitors in a dimorphic shrub. Plant Biology , 2018;20(1):160-164. Plant Biology can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Plant Biology - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1438-8677)
The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting E. Cuevas, Univ Michoacana, Fac Biol, Morelia 58000, Michoacan, Mexico. Additional authors for this research include A. Alvarez and C. Cervantes.
The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.12653. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.
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CITATION: (2018-01-09), Data on Plant Biology Discussed by Researchers at University of Michoacana (Small but attractive: female-biased nectar production and floral visitors in a dimorphic shrub), Life Science Weekly, 2712, ISSN: 1552-2474, BUTTER® ID: 014973094
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