Comparative study on the floral spectral reflectance of invasive and non-invasive plants

Abstract

This paper reports the dissimilar floral spectral reflection of invasive and non-invasive angiosperms. Hyper spectral floral reflectance of 22 non-invasive and 8 invasive, co-habiting and co-flowering angiosperm from Trivandrum, India were measured from 350 to 700 nm. using hand-held spectroradiometer. The ultraviolet, blue and green portions of the electromagnetic spectrum was converted to corresponding photoreceptor excitation values, and insect pollinator (bee) perceived colours respectively. The colour distance between invasive and non-invasive flowers was calculated. Spectral similarity and principal component analysis carried out on photoreceptor excitation values in the ultraviolet, blue and green region reveal the markedly different floral colour perception rendered by invasive species from that of their co-flowering, non-invasive counterparts. Floral spectral reflection in the ultraviolet and blue region was the least similar.