Pollinator shifts and the evolution of spur length in the moth-pollinated orchid Platanthera bifolia

• Published in: Annals of botany Vol. 113; no. 2; pp. 267 - 275
• Main Authors: Boberg, Elin, Alexandersson, Ronny, Jonsson, Magdalena, Maad, Johanne, Ågren, Jon, Nilsson, L. Anders
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.01.2014
• Subjects: Animal Structures - anatomy & histology; Animals; Biologi; Biological Evolution; Biology; correlation; Ecosystem; Evolution; fauna; floral traits; Flowers; Flowers - anatomy & histology; Flowers - physiology; grasslands; habitats; Insect pollination; Moths - physiology; NATURAL SCIENCES; NATURVETENSKAP; Orchidaceae; Orchidaceae - anatomy & histology; Orchidaceae - physiology; Organ Size; phenotype; Platanthera; Platanthera bifolia; Pollen; Pollinating insects; Pollination; Pollination - physiology; pollination success; Pollinator shifts; pollinators; Population characteristics; Principal Component Analysis; Proboscis; proboscis length; Species Specificity; spur length; Woodland grasslands; Woodlands; Scandinavia; Sweden; pollinator shift; pollination success; proboscis length; Platanthera bifolia; evolution of floral traits; population differentiation; moth pollination; pollination ecotypes; Ecotype; spur length; speciation
• ISSN: 0305-7364; 1095-8290; 1095-8290
• DOI: 10.1093/aob/mct217

Background and AimsPlant–pollinator interactions are thought to have shaped much of floral evolution. Yet the relative importance of pollinator shifts and coevolutionary interactions for among-population variation in floral traits in animal-pollinated species is poorly known. This study examined the adaptive significance of spur length in the moth-pollinated orchid Platanthera bifolia.MethodsGeographical variation in the length of the floral spur of P. bifolia was documented in relation to variation in the pollinator fauna across Scandinavia, and a reciprocal translocation experiment was conducted in south-east Sweden between a long-spurred woodland population and a short-spurred grassland population.Key ResultsSpur length and pollinator fauna varied among regions and habitats, and spur length was positively correlated with the proboscis length of local pollinators. In the reciprocal translocation experiment, long-spurred woodland plants had higher pollination success than short-spurred grassland plants at the woodland site, while no significant difference was observed at the grassland site.ConclusionsThe results are consistent with the hypothesis that optimal floral phenotype varies with the morphology of the local pollinators, and that the evolution of spur length in P. bifolia has been largely driven by pollinator shifts.