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Nectar reward and advertisement in hummingbird-pollinated Silene virginica (Caryophyllaceae).

Publication ,  Journal Article
Fenster, CB; Cheely, G; Dudash, MR; Reynolds, RJ
Published in: Am J Bot
December 2006

We tested for an association between nectar and various floral traits and investigated their roles as primary and secondary pollinator attractants in hummingbird-pollinated Silene virginica. Our goal was to gain insight into the mechanisms of pollinator-mediated selection that underlies floral trait divergence within the genus. In a field population of S. virginica, we measured five floral and eight vegetative traits and quantified nectar volume, nectar sugar concentration, and total sugar reward (nectar volume × nectar sugar concentration). All three components of nectar reward were positively correlated to flower size, and nectar volume varied significantly among individuals within the population. To ascertain whether the correlation of specific floral traits with nectar reward influences the behavior of the primary pollinator of S. virginica, the ruby-throated hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, we investigated whether A. colubris preferred the expression of floral traits associated with high nectar volume and total sugar reward. We accomplished this by constructing floral arrays consisting of artificial flowers that had equal nectar quantity and total sugar reward but that differed in petal area and corolla tube diameter, which were positively correlated with nectar quantity and total sugar reward in our field study. In observations of visitation frequencies to the various floral-trait combinations, hummingbirds preferentially visited artificial floral phenotypes with larger petal displays, with the greatest preference for floral phenotypes with both larger petals and wider corolla-tube diameters. This association between primary and secondary floral attractants and hummingbird discrimination of floral features supports the concept that the floral traits of S. virginica reflect pollinator-mediated selection by the principal pollinator.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Am J Bot

DOI

ISSN

0002-9122

Publication Date

December 2006

Volume

93

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1800 / 1807

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • 3108 Plant biology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0607 Plant Biology
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology
  • 0602 Ecology
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Fenster, C. B., Cheely, G., Dudash, M. R., & Reynolds, R. J. (2006). Nectar reward and advertisement in hummingbird-pollinated Silene virginica (Caryophyllaceae). Am J Bot, 93(12), 1800–1807. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.93.12.1800
Fenster, Charles B., George Cheely, Michele R. Dudash, and Richard J. Reynolds. “Nectar reward and advertisement in hummingbird-pollinated Silene virginica (Caryophyllaceae).Am J Bot 93, no. 12 (December 2006): 1800–1807. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.93.12.1800.
Fenster CB, Cheely G, Dudash MR, Reynolds RJ. Nectar reward and advertisement in hummingbird-pollinated Silene virginica (Caryophyllaceae). Am J Bot. 2006 Dec;93(12):1800–7.
Fenster, Charles B., et al. “Nectar reward and advertisement in hummingbird-pollinated Silene virginica (Caryophyllaceae).Am J Bot, vol. 93, no. 12, Dec. 2006, pp. 1800–07. Pubmed, doi:10.3732/ajb.93.12.1800.
Fenster CB, Cheely G, Dudash MR, Reynolds RJ. Nectar reward and advertisement in hummingbird-pollinated Silene virginica (Caryophyllaceae). Am J Bot. 2006 Dec;93(12):1800–1807.

Published In

Am J Bot

DOI

ISSN

0002-9122

Publication Date

December 2006

Volume

93

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1800 / 1807

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • 3108 Plant biology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0607 Plant Biology
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology
  • 0602 Ecology