Abstract
Resources salvaged when flowers wilt on a perennial plant could promote reproduction by, in preference order, the same flowers (Hypothesis 1), adjacent flowers on the same plant (Hypothesis 2), or during the next flowering season by the same plant (Hypothesis 3). We tested the above hypotheses for Blandfordia grandiflora, a perennial species, where some plants included flowers that were allowed to wilt, while equivalent flowers on other plants were prevented from wilting. The abilities of these plants to produce seed were determined by liberally pollinating all flowers. To test Hypotheses 1 and 2, seed set per flower and per plant were compared between plants with and without wilting flowers. To specifically test Hypothesis 3, reproduction was prevented in all flowers. For each experiment, flowering was monitored in the same plants during the next flowering season, thus also enabling Hypothesis 3 to be tested. The results were consistent with Hypothesis 3, but not with Hypotheses 1 and 2. Hence, we verified, for the first time, that plants may benefit from salvaging resources from wilting flowers and re-using these resources for subsequent reproduction. However, contrary to expectations, plants re-used these resources to promote reproduction during subsequent flowering, and not during current flowering by either the same flowers or other flowers on the same plant. The plants must have transferred resources from wilting flowers to underground corms and roots, which provided resources necessary for subsequent flowering. This is likely part of a general plant strategy to salvage resources invested in reproduction during one flowering season and reuse these resources during subsequent flowering.
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Claims 3
Claim · model-written summary
Plants benefit from salvaging resources from wilting flowers and re-using them for subsequent reproduction.
- Taxon
- Blandfordia grandiflora
Blandfordia grandiflorae0 - Outcome
- subsequent reproductione6
- Qualifier
- salvaging resources from wilting flowerse6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We tested the above hypotheses for Blandfordia grandiflora, a perennial species”
e6“Hence, we verified, for the first time, that plants may benefit from salvaging resources from wilting flowers and re-using these resources for subsequent reproduction”
Claim · model-written summary
Re-used resources promoted reproduction during subsequent flowering, not during current flowering by the same or other flowers on the plant.
- Taxon
- Blandfordia grandifloraBlandfordia grandiflorae0
- Outcome
- reproduction during subsequent floweringe7
- Qualifier
- not during current flowering by either the same flowers or other flowers on the same plante7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We tested the above hypotheses for Blandfordia grandiflora, a perennial species”
e7“However, contrary to expectations, plants re-used these resources to promote reproduction during subsequent flowering, and not during current flowering by either the same flowers or other flowers on the same plant”
Claim · model-written summary
Plants transferred resources from wilting flowers to underground corms and roots, which supplied subsequent flowering.
- Taxon
- Blandfordia grandifloraBlandfordia grandiflorae0
- Organ / stage
- underground corms and rootse1
- Outcome
- subsequent floweringe1
- Qualifier
- transferred resources from wilting flowerse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We tested the above hypotheses for Blandfordia grandiflora, a perennial species”
e1“The plants must have transferred resources from wilting flowers to underground corms and roots, which provided resources necessary for subsequent flowering”