Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae)
Abstract Anther opening has commonly been thought of as unidirectional, but reports of anthers closing in response to rainfall show this is not the case. In some species, anther closure can protect pollen from degrading or washing away, thus possibly enhancing male fitness. Similarly, although flora...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10219 |
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| author | Emily A. Humphreys Cynthia Skema |
| author_facet | Emily A. Humphreys Cynthia Skema |
| author_sort | Emily A. Humphreys |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Anther opening has commonly been thought of as unidirectional, but reports of anthers closing in response to rainfall show this is not the case. In some species, anther closure can protect pollen from degrading or washing away, thus possibly enhancing male fitness. Similarly, although floral color is often presumed to be static, numerous floral parts may change color during blooming. These color changes primarily occur in response to pollination or aging, thus potentially increasing pollination efficiency by directing floral visitors to recently opened, unpollinated flowers. Daily observations of 364 Ripariosida hermaphrodita flowers from seven individuals showed that anthers that were purple, open, and shedding pollen became beige colored and tightly closed after rainfall. These findings were further supported by observations of plants exposed to simulated rainfall in a greenhouse and time‐lapse photography of flowers misted with water. To our knowledge, our work represents the first report of anther closure in response to rain in Malvaceae and the first report of floral color change induced by rainfall. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e615ca4fe51b4c7f80526acf7222d7a6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-e615ca4fe51b4c7f80526acf7222d7a62025-08-20T03:01:35ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-07-01137n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10219Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae)Emily A. Humphreys0Cynthia Skema1Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USAMorris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USAAbstract Anther opening has commonly been thought of as unidirectional, but reports of anthers closing in response to rainfall show this is not the case. In some species, anther closure can protect pollen from degrading or washing away, thus possibly enhancing male fitness. Similarly, although floral color is often presumed to be static, numerous floral parts may change color during blooming. These color changes primarily occur in response to pollination or aging, thus potentially increasing pollination efficiency by directing floral visitors to recently opened, unpollinated flowers. Daily observations of 364 Ripariosida hermaphrodita flowers from seven individuals showed that anthers that were purple, open, and shedding pollen became beige colored and tightly closed after rainfall. These findings were further supported by observations of plants exposed to simulated rainfall in a greenhouse and time‐lapse photography of flowers misted with water. To our knowledge, our work represents the first report of anther closure in response to rain in Malvaceae and the first report of floral color change induced by rainfall.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10219anther closurefloral color changeMalvaceaepollinationrainfall |
| spellingShingle | Emily A. Humphreys Cynthia Skema Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae) Ecology and Evolution anther closure floral color change Malvaceae pollination rainfall |
| title | Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae) |
| title_full | Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae) |
| title_fullStr | Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae) |
| title_short | Just add water: Rainfall‐induced anther closure and color change in Ripariosida hermaphrodita (Malvaceae) |
| title_sort | just add water rainfall induced anther closure and color change in ripariosida hermaphrodita malvaceae |
| topic | anther closure floral color change Malvaceae pollination rainfall |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10219 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT emilyahumphreys justaddwaterrainfallinducedantherclosureandcolorchangeinripariosidahermaphroditamalvaceae AT cynthiaskema justaddwaterrainfallinducedantherclosureandcolorchangeinripariosidahermaphroditamalvaceae |