Li Deng-Fei, Yu Yan, Yang Hao-Jin, Yan Xian-Chun
Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong 637002, China.
School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China.
AoB Plants. 2022 Jan 27;14(2):plac004. doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plac004. eCollection 2022 Apr.
The evolution of persistent calyces may be an adaptation to ensure reproductive success of certain flowering plants. However, experimental evidence of the functions of persistent calyces during flowering and seed development remains scarce. We explored the possible functions of persistent calyces in , a perennial herb with campanulate calyx. We conducted calyx manipulation experiments to examine whether persistent calyces affect visitation rates of nectar robbers and pollinators, individual flower longevity, fruit set, seed set and seed mass. Our findings suggested that shortening of the calyx significantly decreased individual flower longevity, fruit set and seed mass, but did not affect visitation of pollinators and nectar robbers. In addition, the seed set of control flowers and the flowers with calyx shortened at the beginning of fruiting stage (CSF flowers) did not significantly differ, but both were higher than that of the flowers with calyx shortened at the beginning of blooming stage (CSB flowers). The seed set and fruit set of CSB flowers were limited by pollination due to the reduction in floral longevity. We conclude that persistent calyces of may represent adaptive strategies to maintain floral longevity and increase plant fitness. Persistent calyces may provide protection for the growth of flowers and contribute resources to the development of fruits and seeds.
宿存花萼的演化可能是一种适应性特征，以确保某些开花植物的繁殖成功。然而，关于宿存花萼在开花和种子发育过程中功能的实验证据仍然匮乏。我们以一种具有钟状花萼的多年生草本植物为研究对象，探究了宿存花萼可能具有的功能。我们进行了花萼操控实验，以检验宿存花萼是否会影响盗蜜者和传粉者的访花频率、单花寿命、坐果率、结实率和种子质量。我们的研究结果表明，缩短花萼显著降低了单花寿命、坐果率和种子质量，但并未影响传粉者和盗蜜者的访花情况。此外，对照花以及在结果初期缩短花萼的花（CSF花）的结实率没有显著差异，但两者均高于在开花初期缩短花萼的花（CSB花）。由于花期寿命缩短，CSB花的结实率和坐果率受到授粉的限制。我们得出结论，该植物的宿存花萼可能是维持花期寿命和提高植物适合度的适应性策略。宿存花萼可能为花朵的生长提供保护，并为果实和种子的发育贡献资源。
