Why are flowers sweeter than fruits or buds? Variation in extrafloral nectar secretion throughout the floral ontogeny of a myrmecophile

Extrafloral nectar provision during floral ontogeny in ant-plants has not been widely studied. Extrafloral nectar secretion differed between leaves associated with buds, flowers, and fruits, and peaked during anthesis when pollinators were present. This ontogenetic variation may result from mixed se...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBiotropica Vol. 49; no. 5; pp. 581 - 585
Main Author Villamil, Nora
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hoboken Wiley 01.09.2017
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
ant‐pollinator conflict
Buds
Cactus
defense
extrafloral nectar
Flowers
Fruits
Gulf of Mexico
INSIGHTS
Leaves
Legumes
mutualism
myrmecophile
Myrmecophily
Nectar
Ontogeny
Pollinators
reproductive ontogeny
Secretion
Turnera velutina
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Summary:Extrafloral nectar provision during floral ontogeny in ant-plants has not been widely studied. Extrafloral nectar secretion differed between leaves associated with buds, flowers, and fruits, and peaked during anthesis when pollinators were present. This ontogenetic variation may result from mixed selective pressures involving strategies for defense and mutualist management.
ISSN:0006-3606
1744-7429
DOI:10.1111/btp.12463