Plasticity of floral longevity and floral display in the self-compatible biennial Sabatia angularis (Gentianaceae): untangling the role of multiple components of pollination

Background and aims: Plasticity of floral traits in response to pollination can enable plants to maximize opportunities for pollen import and export under poor pollination conditions, while minimizing costs under favourable ones. Both floral longevity and display are key traits influencing pollination. While pollination-induced flower wilting is widely documented, we lack an understanding of the multifactorial complexity of this response, including the influence of other pollination components, costs of extended longevity and subsequent impacts on floral display.

Methods: Plasticity of floral longevity was experimentally evaluated in Sabatia angularis in response to multiple pollination factors: pollen addition, removal, and source (self, single-donor outcross, multiple-donor outcross) and timing of pollination. Effects of pollen quantity were further evaluated by exploiting variation in autonomous self-pollen deposition. Delayed pollination costs were tested comparing seed set from early versus late pollinations. Finally, I compared floral display metrics (peak floral display, time to peak flower, flowering duration, mean flowering rate) between experimentally pollinated and control plants.

Key results: Floral longevity was highly plastic in response to pollen addition and its timing, and the response was dose-dependent but insensitive to pollen source. Pollen removal tended to extend floral longevity, but only insofar as it precluded pollination-induced wilting via autonomous self-pollination. Under delayed pollination, the wilting response was faster and no cost was detected. Pollination further led to reduced peak floral displays and condensed flowering periods.

Conclusions: Floral longevity and display plasticity could optimize fitness in S. angularis, a species prone to pollen limitation and high inbreeding depression. Under pollinator scarcity, extended floral longevities offer greater opportunities for pollen receipt and export at no cost to seed set, reproductive assurance via autonomous self-pollination and larger, more attractive floral displays. Under high pollinator availability, shortened longevities lead to smaller displays that should lower the risk of geitonogamy.