Floral colour change as a potential signal to pollinators. (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ruxton, Graeme D; Schaefer, H Martin
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in plant biology. Volume 32(2016)
• Page Start: 96
• Page End: 100
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: Plant molecular biology -- Periodicals; 571.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.06.021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-5266

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: Some flowers change colour with age and/or after pollination. Floral colour change has evolved repeated but is uncommon. Selection through modifying pollinator behaviour requires very particular circumstances. Mechanisms other than colour change can direct pollinators to unvisited flowers. Colour change may be more often an evolutionary stepping stone than end point. Abstract : Colour change in flowers (with age and/or after pollination) is taxonomically widespread, has evolved repeatedly, and has a range of putative selective benefits linked to modifying pollinator behaviour; however, this phenomenon seems paradoxically uncommon. We explore this paradox by reviewing the empirical evidence and argue that the evolution and maintenance of floral colour change as a signal to modify pollinator behaviour require special ecological circumstances that will often not be met across a plant population for a sustained number of generations, which potentially explains the scarcity of this phenomenon. We discuss alternative explanations for floral colour change and potentially fruitful lines of future research.