Abstract
ABSTRACT Animal-pollinated flowers may orient resources for competing activities, such as nectar production for attracting flower visitors but then saving nectar (through inhibiting nectar production or by final resorption) for the subsequent maturation of fruits and seeds. Nectar production is continuous in Nicotiana longiflora and N. alata after flower opening, but early nectar removal reduces total secreted nectar. Resource trade-off between nectar investment and seed production were experimentally assessed in manually pollinated flowers experiencing different numbers of repeated nectar removals, while controlling for maternal effects. We expected that flowers with less nectar secretion produce larger seed sets. The results showed that for both species the earlier the nectar removal during flower anthesis, the lower the total nectar secreted and the higher the mass of seeds produced. This general pattern was clearer for N. longiflora. The link between decreased nectar production and the subsequent increase in the seed set implies that resources are limited. Consequently, nectar savings during the pollination process through early nectar removal by pollinators can be interpreted as a trade-off between resources secreted by flowers for pollinator attraction and those utilized during fruit and seed maturation.
Highlights
Flowers invest resources that may represent trade-offs between different physiological processes during their anthesis and fruit development
Nectar savings during the pollination process through early nectar removal by pollinators can be interpreted as a trade-off between resources secreted by flowers for pollinator attraction and those utilized during fruit and seed maturation
The main hypothesis we propose is if animal-pollinated flowers save resources regulating nectar secretion according to the timing of the pollinator visit, the lower energy invested in nectar production by earlyvisited flowers can entail a benefit for subsequent fruit and seed maturation
Summary
Flowers invest resources that may represent trade-offs between different physiological processes during their anthesis and fruit development. Flowers invest resources in maintenance processes such as respiration and transpiration, and in attracting pollinators through the production of pollen and nectar (Obeso 2002). Resource allocation during reproduction can be examined at different plant levels because of its modularity (Obeso 2004). Reproduction investment represents the integration of adjustments at different hierarchical levels within the plant. Nectar dynamics can involve mechanisms to save nectar-energetic investments, and derive resources to fruit and seed development. The trade-offs of energetic investments between nectar (through nectar production, replenishment or resorption) and female reproduction depend on the plant-modular level at which they are analyzed (Obeso 2002; 2004)
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