Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pollinator-limited seed-set in some terrestrial orchids is compensated for by the presence of long-lived flowers. This study tests the hypothesis that pollen from these insect-pollinated orchids should be desiccation tolerant and relatively long lived using four closely related UK terrestrial species; Anacamptis morio, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, D. maculata and Orchis mascula. METHODS: Pollen from the four species was harvested from inflorescences and germinated in vitro, both immediately and also after drying to simulate interflower transit. Their tolerance to desiccation and short-term survival was additionally assessed after 3 d equilibration at a range of relative humidities (RHs), and related to constructed sorption isotherms (RH vs. moisture content, MC). Ageing of D. fuchsii pollen was further tested over 2 months against temperature and RH, and the resultant survival curves were subjected to probit analysis, and the distribution of pollen death in time (σ) was determined. The viability and siring ability, following artificial pollinations, were determined in D. fuchsii pollen following storage for 6 years at -20 °C. KEY RESULTS: The pollen from all four species exhibited systematic increases in germinability and desiccation tolerance as anthesis approached, and pollen from open flowers generally retained high germinability. Short-term storage revealed sensitivity to low RH, whilst optimum survival occurred at comparable RHs in all species. Similarly, estimated pollen life spans (σ) at differing temperatures were longest under the dry conditions. Despite a reduction in germination and seeds per capsule, long-term storage of D. fuchsii pollen did not impact on subsequent seed germination in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial pollen desiccation tolerance and life span of the four entomophilous orchids reflects a resilient survival strategy in response to unpredictable pollinator visitation, and presents an alternative approach to germplasm conservation.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Pollen germinability increased as anthesis approached in four orchids.
- Taxon
- Anacamptis morio
Anacamptis morioe1 - Organ / stage
- pollene0
- Outcome
- germinabilitye0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Qualifier
- as anthesis approachede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“pollen from all four species exhibited systematic increases in germinability and desiccation tolerance as anthesis approached”
e1“Anacamptis morio, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, D. maculata and Orchis mascula”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollen desiccation tolerance increased as anthesis approached in four orchids.
- Taxon
- Dactylorhiza fuchsii
Dactylorhiza fuchsiie1 - Organ / stage
- pollene0
- Outcome
- desiccation tolerancee0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Qualifier
- as anthesis approachede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“pollen from all four species exhibited systematic increases in germinability and desiccation tolerance as anthesis approached”
e1“Anacamptis morio, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, D. maculata and Orchis mascula”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollen from open flowers generally retained high germinability.
Verbatim
e0“pollen from open flowers generally retained high germinability”
t0“orchid species”
Claim · model-written summary
Short term pollen storage at low relative humidity reduced survival.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Short-term storage revealed sensitivity to low RH”
t0“orchid species”
Claim · model-written summary
Optimum pollen survival occurred at comparable relative humidities across species.
Verbatim
e0“optimum survival occurred at comparable RHs in all species”
t0“orchid species”
Claim · model-written summary
Estimated pollen life spans were longest under dry conditions.
Verbatim
e0“estimated pollen life spans (σ) at differing temperatures were longest under the dry conditions”
t0“orchid species”
Claim · model-written summary
Long term D. fuchsii pollen storage reduced germination.
- Taxon
- D. fuchsiiDactylorhiza fuchsiie0
- Organ / stage
- pollene0
- Treatment
- long-term storagee0
- Outcome
- germinatione0
- Direction
- reductione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Despite a reduction in germination and seeds per capsule, long-term storage of D. fuchsii pollen did not impact on subsequent seed germination in vitro”
Claim · model-written summary
Long term D. fuchsii pollen storage reduced seeds per capsule.
- Taxon
- D. fuchsiiDactylorhiza fuchsiie0
- Treatment
- long-term storagee0
- Outcome
- seeds per capsulee0
- Direction
- reductione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Despite a reduction in germination and seeds per capsule, long-term storage of D. fuchsii pollen did not impact on subsequent seed germination in vitro”
Claim · model-written summary
Long term D. fuchsii pollen storage did not affect subsequent in vitro seed germination.
- Taxon
- D. fuchsiiDactylorhiza fuchsiie0
- Treatment
- long-term storagee0
- Outcome
- subsequent seed germination in vitroe0
- Direction
- did not impacte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“long-term storage of D. fuchsii pollen did not impact on subsequent seed germination in vitro”
The same questions in other papers
storage · growth · Dactylorhiza fuchsiiResults agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- no effect
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.