The relationship between nectar spur curvature in jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) and pollen removal by hummingbird pollinators

Abstract

Floral nectar spurs are hypothesized to have had a major role in the evolution of floral diversity and plant-pollinator coadaptation. We examined variation in the degree of nectar spur curvature in two species of jewelweed (Impatiens capensis and Impatiens pallida) pollinated by different sets of pollinators. To distinguish between adaptive and nonadaptive explanations for between-species differences in curvature, we determined the relationship between spur curvature and pollen removal, which is one estimate of male reproductive success. Spur curvature exhibited considerable variation both within and among three populations, with spur angles ranging from 0° to 297°. A greenhouse experiment determined that spur curvature of I. capensis flowers has a broad-sense heritability of 0.636. Laboratory experiments indicated that flowers having recurved spurs deposit significantly more pollen grains on hummingbird visitors than flowers having perpendicular spurs, apparently as a result of greater contact between the androecium of curve-spurred flowers and the upper bill of hummingbirds. We also found a significant relationship between spur curvature and flower length, suggesting a developmental link between the two traits. We discuss the degree of spur curvature in bird-pollinated I. capensis as a function of both adaptive evolution and developmental constraint.Key words: pollination, nectar spurs, hummingbirds, Impatiens capensis, Impatiens pallida, pollen export, floral morphology, floral polymorphisms.