Is floral trait polymorphism related to pollination in deceptive orchids?

• Grant number: 15/05919-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Cooperation agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal researcher: Marlies Sazima
• Grantee: João Marcelo Robazzi Bignelli Valente Aguiar
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/17128-8 - Is floral fragrance variation related to deceptive pollination in orchids?, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Heinrich's hypothesis, from 1975, says that the more dissimilar are the non-rewarding flowers, the longer it should take pollinators to avoid the species. Reproductive biology studies in orchids tested this hypothesis, by comparing the fruit production in populations with and without floral polymorphism. However, few are the studies that take in account the floral visitors cognitive process towards the polymorphism. Thus, using as a model the interaction between an orchid species and its floral visitors, this project aims to characterize the floral polymorphism of Ionopsis utricularioides and test Heinrich's hypothesis trough a sensorial and cognitive perspective of the floral visitors. I. utricularioides possesses continuous variation in its floral traits, such as color, nectar guides and fragrances. The flowers are pollinated by generalized food deception during the visits of many different bee species. The floral polymorphism will be characterized using GC-MS analysis for fragrance, floral reflectance measures and nectar guides patterns analysis. Behavior experiments with Y olfactometer will evaluate the fragrances perception, and choice tests will evaluate if floral visitors can discriminate between colors and also between nectar guide patterns, that will be represented by images in artificial flowers, simulating the deception. The results will contribute no only to the better understanding of sensorial and cognitive ecology of pollination, but also to elucidate the role of floral polymorphism in generalized food deception process. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BIGNELLI VALENTE AGUIAR, JOAO MARCELO ROBAZZI; FERREIRA, GABRIEL DE SOUZA; SANCHES, PATRICIA ALESSANDRA; SIMOES BENTO, JOSE MAURICIO; SAZIMA, MARLIES. What pollinators see does not match what they smell: Absence of color-fragrance association in the deceptive orchid Ionopsis utricularioides. Phytochemistry, v. 182, FEB 2021. Web of Science Citations: 0.

BIGNELLI VALENTE AGUIAR, JOAO MARCELO ROBAZZI; GIURFA, MARTIN; SAZIMA, MARLIES. A cognitive analysis of deceptive pollination: associative mechanisms underlying pollinators' choices in non-rewarding colour polymorphic scenarios. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 10, n. 1 JUN 11 2020. Web of Science Citations: 2.

BIGNELLI VALENTE AGUIAR, JOAO MARCELO ROBAZZI; PANSARIN, EMERSON RICARDO. Deceptive pollination of Ionopsis utricularioides (Oncidiinae: Orchidaceae). FLORA, v. 250, p. 72-78, JAN 2019. Web of Science Citations: 1.