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Abstract Detail



Reproductive Processes

Skogen, Krissa [1], Jogesh, Tania [2], Lewis, Emily [2], Gruver, Andrea [2], Broadhead, Geoffrey [3], Overson, Rick [4], Raguso, Robert [5].

Is floral scent at the nexus of interactions among plants, pollinators and herbivores in the evening primroses (Onagraceae)?

Floral trait evolution is frequently attributed to pollinator-mediated selection but herbivores can play a key role in shaping plant reproductive biology, especially if the same floral traits mediate both mutualistic and antagonistic interactions. Due to their opposing effects on plant fitness, herbivores and pollinators have the potential to influence the evolution of floral phenotypes across geographic landscapes with implications for speciation and diversification at higher taxonomic scales. Here, we examine the role of pollination and herbivory in the diversification of floral scent chemistry in evening primroses, Onagraceae. Evening primroses represents the most diverse group of hawkmoth-pollinated plants in North America with remarkable divergence in floral morphology and chemistry. Preliminary analyses suggest that inter- and intraspecific variation in floral scent is pervasive, especially for two enantiomers of the monoterpene alcohol, linalool. In many Oenothera, (R)(-) linalool is negatively correlated with the presence of Mompha, a specialist flower and fruit-feeding moth genus. These data suggest that (R)(-) linalool might function as an herbivore deterrent, and that geographic variation in the strength of plant-herbivore interactions might diversify floral scent phenotypes with implications for plant-pollinator interactions. We examined the role of floral chemistry in mediating pollinator and herbivore interactions and in driving the diversification of evening primroses at multiple evolutionary timescales. We performed a manipulative field experiment, adding (R)(-) linalool to flowers of Oenothera harringtonii in a population lacking linalool, and measuring pollinator visitation, herbivory and seed fitness. Controlled laboratory assays were used to determine whether hawkmoth pollinators preferentially oviposit on plants that vary in linalool presence / chirality. Finally, we surveyed the presence (and enantiomeric composition) of linalool and other floral volatiles in 61 populations of 16 species of Onagraceae (Oenothera and Clarkia) across western North America, in conjunction with measurements of pollinator visitation and herbivore damage.


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Related Links:
Landscapes of Linalool: Scent-mediated diversification of flowers & moths across western North America


1 - Chicago Botanic Garden, Conservation Scientist, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022, USA
2 - Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022, United States
3 - Cornell University, Room W355, Seeley G Mudd Hall, 215 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States
4 - Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL, 60022, USA
5 - Cornell University, Department Of Biological Sciences, W355 Mudd Hall, 215 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

Keywords:
Onagraceae
Oenothera
Clarkia
Floral volatiles
Floral traits
plant-animal interactions
pollination
herbivory
hawkmoth
macroevolution
volatile signals.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 30, Reproductive Processes
Location: Fort Worth Ballroom 7/Omni Hotel
Date: Tuesday, June 27th, 2017
Time: 4:30 PM
Number: 30011
Abstract ID:283
Candidate for Awards:None


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