Abstract
In dioecious and monoecious plants that depend on animal vectors for reproduction, pollinators have to be attracted to male and female flowers for pollination to be effective. In the monoecious Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana, male flowers are produced in greater quantity, are spatially more exposed to pollinators and offer pollen in addition to nectar as floral rewards. Nectar traits were compared between male and female flowers to determine any differences in the characteristics of the main reward offered to pollinators. Nectar chemical composition and sugar proportions were similar between flower types. Total nectar sugar production per female flower was threefold higher than per male flower, and nectar removal did not have any effect on total nectar production in both flower morphs. Pollinators reduced nectar standing crops to similar and very scarce amounts in both flower types. Results indicate indirectly that pollinators are consuming more nectar from female flowers, suggesting that the higher nectar production in female flowers may be a reward-based strategy to achieve the high female reproductive output observed in this species.Key words: Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana, nectar production, nectar sugar composition, removal effects, standing crop.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Male flowers were more numerous and more exposed to pollinators than female flowers.
- Taxon
- Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana
Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreanat0 - Organ / stage
- male flowerse0
- Interactor
- pollinatorse0pollinator
- Outcome
- male flowerse0
- Direction
- greater quantitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“male flowers are produced in greater quantity, are spatially more exposed to pollinators”
t0“Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nectar chemical composition and sugar proportions were similar between male and female flowers.
- Taxon
- Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreanaCucurbita maxima subsp. andreanat0
- Outcome
- Nectar chemical composition and sugar proportionse0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- flower typese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nectar chemical composition and sugar proportions were similar between flower types.”
t0“Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
Total nectar sugar production per female flower was threefold higher than per male flower.
- Taxon
- Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreanaCucurbita maxima subsp. andreanat0
- Organ / stage
- female flowere0
- Outcome
- Total nectar sugar productione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- threefolde0
- Comparator
- male flowere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Total nectar sugar production per female flower was threefold higher than per male flower”
t0“Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
Nectar removal did not affect total nectar production in either flower morph.
- Taxon
- Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreanaCucurbita maxima subsp. andreanat0
- Treatment
- nectar removale0
- Outcome
- total nectar productione0
- Direction
- did not have any effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“nectar removal did not have any effect on total nectar production in both flower morphs.”
t0“Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollinators reduced standing nectar to similarly scarce amounts in both flower types.
- Taxon
- Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreanaCucurbita maxima subsp. andreanat0
- Interactor
- Pollinatorse0pollinator
- Outcome
- nectar standing cropse0
- Direction
- reducede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pollinators reduced nectar standing crops to similar and very scarce amounts in both flower types.”
t0“Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer greater pollinator nectar consumption from female flowers.
- Taxon
- Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreanaCucurbita maxima subsp. andreanat0
- Organ / stage
- female flowerse0
- Interactor
- pollinatorse0pollinator
- Outcome
- nectare0
- Direction
- moree0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“pollinators are consuming more nectar from female flowers”
t0“Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest greater female-flower nectar production is a reward strategy for high female reproductive output.
- Taxon
- Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreanaCucurbita maxima subsp. andreanat0
- Outcome
- high female reproductive outpute0
- Qualifier
- higher nectar production in female flowerse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the higher nectar production in female flowers may be a reward-based strategy to achieve the high female reproductive output observed in this species.”
t0“Differential nectar production between male and female flowers in a wild cucurbit: Cucurbita maxima ssp. andreana (Cucurbitaceae)”