Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Computational Physics, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2019 Jun;205(3):363-372. doi: 10.1007/s00359-018-01313-1. Epub 2019 Jan 28.
The flowers of poppies (Papaveraceae) exhibit bright colours, despite their thin and floppy petals. We investigated the optical properties of flowers of Papaver rhoeas, P. dubium, Meconopsis cambrica and Argemone polyanthemos using a combined approach of anatomy, spectrophotometry and optical modelling. The petals of Papaver flowers are composed of only three cell layers, an upper and lower epidermal layer, which are densely filled with pigment, and an unpigmented mesophyll layer. Dense pigmentation together with strong scattering structures, composed of serpentine cell walls and air cavities, cause the striking poppy colours. We discuss how various aspects of the optical signal contribute to the flower's visibility to pollinators.
罂粟花（罂粟科）的花朵颜色鲜艳，尽管它们的花瓣又薄又软。我们采用解剖学、分光光度法和光学建模相结合的方法，研究了虞美人和罂粟属（Papaver rhoeas、P. dubium、Meconopsis cambrica 和 Argemone polyanthemos）花朵的光学特性。罂粟花的花瓣仅由三层细胞组成，即上下表皮层，这两层细胞都密集地填充着色素，还有一层没有色素的叶肉层。密集的色素沉着加上由蛇纹石细胞壁和气腔组成的强散射结构，使得罂粟花呈现出鲜艳的颜色。我们讨论了光学信号的各个方面如何有助于花朵对传粉者的可见度。
