Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral Proportionalities
Although the allocation of biomass among floral organs reflects critical trade-offs in plant reproductive strategies, the scaling relationships governing biomass allocations remain poorly resolved, particularly in flowers. Here, we report the fresh mass scaling allocation patterns among four floral...
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2025-08-01
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| author | Zhe Wen Karl J. Niklas Yunfeng Yang Wen Gu Zhongqin Li Peijian Shi |
| author_facet | Zhe Wen Karl J. Niklas Yunfeng Yang Wen Gu Zhongqin Li Peijian Shi |
| author_sort | Zhe Wen |
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| description | Although the allocation of biomass among floral organs reflects critical trade-offs in plant reproductive strategies, the scaling relationships governing biomass allocations remain poorly resolved, particularly in flowers. Here, we report the fresh mass scaling allocation patterns among four floral organs (i.e., sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels), and the two subtending structural components (i.e., the pedicel and receptacle) of 497 flowers of the hypogynous <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i> (miniature rose) using reduced major axis protocols. The two-parameter Weibull probability density function was also applied to characterize the distributions of floral organ mass, and revealed skewed tendencies in all six measured traits. The results show that the numerical values of the scaling exponents (α) for all pairwise power-law relationships significantly exceeded unity (α > 1), indicating disproportionate investments in larger floral structures with increasing overall flower size. Specifically, the scaling exponent of corolla fresh mass vs. calyx fresh mass was α = 1.131 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.086, 1.175), indicating that petal investment outpaces sepal investment as flower size increases. Reproductive organs also exhibited significant disproportionate investments (i.e., allometry): the collective carpel (gynoecium) fresh mass scaled allometrically with respect to the collective stamen (androecium) mass (α = 1.062, CI: 1.028, 1.098). Subtending axial structures (pedicel and receptacle) also had hyperallometric patterns, with pedicel mass scaling at α = 1.167 (CI: 1.106, 1.235) with respect to receptacle mass. Likewise, the combined fresh mass of all four foliar homologues (sepals, petals, androecium, and gynoecium) scaled disproportionately with respect to the biomass of the two subtending axial structures (α = 1.169, CI: 1.126, 1.214), indicating a prioritized resource allocation to reproductive and display organs. These findings are in accord with hypotheses positing that floral display traits, such as corolla size, primarily enhance pollen export by attracting pollinators, while maintaining fruit setting success through coordinated investment in gynoecium development. The consistent hyperallometry across all organ pairwise comparisons underscores the role of developmental integration in shaping floral architecture in Rosaceae, as predicted by scaling theory. By integrating morphometric and scaling analyses, this study proposes a tractable methodology for investigating floral resource allocation in monomorphic-flowering species and provides empirical evidence consistent with the adaptive patterns of floral traits within this ecologically and horticulturally significant lineage. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| spelling | doaj-art-733d3928acd84dfe965c7c8e8796f1062025-08-20T04:00:51ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-08-011415244610.3390/plants14152446Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral ProportionalitiesZhe Wen0Karl J. Niklas1Yunfeng Yang2Wen Gu3Zhongqin Li4Peijian Shi5College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, # 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaSchool of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USACollege of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, # 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, # 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, # 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaBamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, # 159 Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, ChinaAlthough the allocation of biomass among floral organs reflects critical trade-offs in plant reproductive strategies, the scaling relationships governing biomass allocations remain poorly resolved, particularly in flowers. Here, we report the fresh mass scaling allocation patterns among four floral organs (i.e., sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels), and the two subtending structural components (i.e., the pedicel and receptacle) of 497 flowers of the hypogynous <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i> (miniature rose) using reduced major axis protocols. The two-parameter Weibull probability density function was also applied to characterize the distributions of floral organ mass, and revealed skewed tendencies in all six measured traits. The results show that the numerical values of the scaling exponents (α) for all pairwise power-law relationships significantly exceeded unity (α > 1), indicating disproportionate investments in larger floral structures with increasing overall flower size. Specifically, the scaling exponent of corolla fresh mass vs. calyx fresh mass was α = 1.131 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.086, 1.175), indicating that petal investment outpaces sepal investment as flower size increases. Reproductive organs also exhibited significant disproportionate investments (i.e., allometry): the collective carpel (gynoecium) fresh mass scaled allometrically with respect to the collective stamen (androecium) mass (α = 1.062, CI: 1.028, 1.098). Subtending axial structures (pedicel and receptacle) also had hyperallometric patterns, with pedicel mass scaling at α = 1.167 (CI: 1.106, 1.235) with respect to receptacle mass. Likewise, the combined fresh mass of all four foliar homologues (sepals, petals, androecium, and gynoecium) scaled disproportionately with respect to the biomass of the two subtending axial structures (α = 1.169, CI: 1.126, 1.214), indicating a prioritized resource allocation to reproductive and display organs. These findings are in accord with hypotheses positing that floral display traits, such as corolla size, primarily enhance pollen export by attracting pollinators, while maintaining fruit setting success through coordinated investment in gynoecium development. The consistent hyperallometry across all organ pairwise comparisons underscores the role of developmental integration in shaping floral architecture in Rosaceae, as predicted by scaling theory. By integrating morphometric and scaling analyses, this study proposes a tractable methodology for investigating floral resource allocation in monomorphic-flowering species and provides empirical evidence consistent with the adaptive patterns of floral traits within this ecologically and horticulturally significant lineage.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2446allometryminiature rosesreproductive biomass allocationscaling analysesthe two-parameter Weibull distribution |
| spellingShingle | Zhe Wen Karl J. Niklas Yunfeng Yang Wen Gu Zhongqin Li Peijian Shi Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral Proportionalities Plants allometry miniature roses reproductive biomass allocation scaling analyses the two-parameter Weibull distribution |
| title | Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral Proportionalities |
| title_full | Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral Proportionalities |
| title_fullStr | Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral Proportionalities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral Proportionalities |
| title_short | Scaling Relationships Among the Floral Organs of <i>Rosa chinensis</i> var. <i>minima</i>: Implications for Reproductive Allocation and Floral Proportionalities |
| title_sort | scaling relationships among the floral organs of i rosa chinensis i var i minima i implications for reproductive allocation and floral proportionalities |
| topic | allometry miniature roses reproductive biomass allocation scaling analyses the two-parameter Weibull distribution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2446 |
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