Research groups at the Graduate School of Kobe University, Himeji Tegarayama Greenhouse Botanical Garden, and Osaka Museum of Natural History have found that the jagged shape that characterizes the flowers of the wild orchid, Egret flower, supports the grasping of the pollen-carrying Suzumega flowers. It revealed that.
There are many species of Orchidaceae that use certain types of insects as pollen carriers.The explosive variety of petal morphology is said to have been the result of evolution to attract specific insects.The wild orchid, Egret flower, is called "Sagisou" because its pure white petals are reminiscent of a white egret flying in the sky, and has been loved by people for a long time.However, it was unclear how the characteristic petal shape of the white egret flower, which splits in a jagged pattern, evolved with the insects that carry pollen.
Therefore, the research group conducted "Jagged excision experiment in its own dough" and "Detailed behavior observation of insects carrying pollen" for 3 years.As a result, the number of healthy seeds per fruit was lower in the individuals who had the jagged edges removed from the white egret flower dough than in the individuals who did not remove the jagged edges.In addition, the hawkmoth, the main pollen carrier of the white egret flower, usually catches the jagged part with the middle leg when sucking the nectar, but it turns out that when the jagged part is removed, the petal can often not be caught.The jaggedness served as a support for the pollen-carrying hawkmoth.
Hawk moths have been thought to suck nectar primarily while hovering.In this study, even though the white egret flower uses the hawkmoth as a pollen carrier, its prominent jaggedness has evolved as a support for grabbing flowers during the honey-sucking of the hawkmoth rather than as a visual guide. It is an important achievement that suggests.
Paper information:[Ecology] Specialized petal with conspicuously fringed margin influences reproductive success in Habenaria radiata (Orchidaceae)
