Flowering phenology in species of Chamaecrista (L.) Moench: temporal generation of functionally enantiostylous dimorphic individuals.
Bezerra TT, Silva AL, da Silva Aragão JL, Matias R, Almeida NM
Pollinators
Watch a patch of partridge peas closely enough and you'll catch individual plants flipping which way their flowers curve from one day to the next — a built-in trick to dodge self-fertilization that plays out right in front of you.
Some flowers have a curved style — the part that receives pollen — that can bend either left or right, and some plants produce both types. Scientists found that while a whole group of these plants keeps a roughly 50/50 balance of left- and right-curving flowers, individual plants don't stay balanced day to day — they switch back and forth. This daily alternating seems to be a clever way the plant avoids fertilizing itself with its own pollen, keeping genetic diversity high.
Key Findings
Across four Chamaecrista species, populations maintained a near 1:1 ratio of left- and right-styled flowers over two full flowering seasons.
Individual plants frequently showed unbalanced morph ratios on any given day, with C. diphylla, C. rotundifolia, and C. flexuosa showing significantly more days with unbalanced ratios than C. ramosa.
Daily alternation of flower morph within individuals functions like a temporal form of dimorphism, potentially reducing self-pollination (geitonogamy) and promoting cross-pollination between differently styled flowers.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers discovered that individual plants of four Chamaecrista species alternate the direction of their flower styles day by day, even though the overall population maintains a balanced mix. This daily switching may help prevent self-pollination and encourage cross-pollination between plants.
Abstract Preview
Enantiostyly is a floral polymorphism that favours cross-pollination and genetic diversity. It is characterized by flowers with styles curved to the right or to the left. The factors that regulate ...
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Species Mentioned
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