Spatial and temporal heterogeneity in pollinator communities maintains within‐species floral odour variation

Abstract

Flowering plants emit complex bouquets of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to mediate interactions with their pollinators. These bouquets are undoubtedly influenced by pollinator‐mediated selection, particularly in deceptively‐pollinated species that rely on chemical mimicry. However, many uncertainties remain regarding how spatially and temporally heterogeneous pollinators affect the diversity and distribution of floral odour variation. Here, we characterized and compared the floral odours of ten populations of deceptively‐pollinated Arum maculatum (Araceae), and inter‐annual and decadal variation in pollinator attraction within these populations. Additionally, we transplanted individuals from all sampled populations to two common garden sites dominated by different pollinator species (Psychoda phalaenoides or Psycha grisescens), and compared pollinator attraction rates to investigate whether populations maintained odour blends adapted to a specific pollinator. We identified high within‐ and among‐population variation in a common blend of VOCs found across the range of A. maculatum. We also observed shifts in pollinator community composition within several populations over 1–2 years, as well as over the past decade. Common garden experiments further revealed that transplanted inflorescences generally attracted the dominant local pollinator species in both transplant sites. However, one population (Forêt du Gâvre, France) appears to exclusively attract P. grisescens, even when transplanted to a P. phalaenoides‐dominated site. Together, our results suggest that maintaining diverse floral odour bouquets within populations may be advantageous when pollinator communities vary over short timescales. We propose that temporally‐replicated ecological data are one potential key to understanding variation in complex traits such as floral odour, and in some cases may reveal resiliency to shifting pollinator communities.