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Article

Intraspecific Variation in Nectar Chemistry and Its Implications for Insect Visitors: The Case of the Medicinal Plant, Polemonium Caeruleum L.

by
Justyna Ryniewicz
1,*,
Mateusz Skłodowski
1,
Magdalena Chmur
2,
Andrzej Bajguz
2,
Katarzyna Roguz
1,
Agata Roguz
3 and
Marcin Zych
1,*
1
Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland
2
Department of Biology and Ecology of Plants, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, 15-245 Bialystok, Poland
3
Feature Forest, Trzy Lipy 3, 80-172 Gdańsk, Poland
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Plants 2020, 9(10), 1297; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101297
Submission received: 6 August 2020 / Revised: 25 September 2020 / Accepted: 28 September 2020 / Published: 1 October 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Resources of Berry and Medicinal Plants)
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Abstract

Floral nectar, being a primary reward for insect visitors, is a key factor in shaping plant–pollinator interactions. However, little is known about the variability in nectar traits, which could potentially affect pollinators and the reproduction of the species. We investigated intraspecific variation in nectar traits in 14 populations of a Red-listed plant, Polemonium caeruleum. Populations varied in terms of the proportion of self-compatible and self-incompatible individuals, and insect communities visiting flowers. Using HPLC, we determined the nectar sugar and amino acid (AA) composition and concentration. We also recorded some basic habitat parameters, which could influence nectar chemistry. In seven selected populations, we investigated the taxonomic composition of the insects visiting flowers. Our observations revealed significant intraspecific variability in nectar chemistry in P. caeruleum. Nectar production was male-biased, with male-phase flowers secreting sucrose- and AA-rich nectar. An analysis revealed that variability in P. caeruleum nectar may be slightly shaped by environmental factors. The studied nectar characters, especially sugars, had little effect on insects visiting flowers. We argue that variation in nectar traits in this generalist plant is a matter of random genetic drift or “adaptive wandering” rather than directional specialization and adaptation in the most effective and abundant group of pollinators.
Keywords: nectar composition; pollination; reproductive ecology; variation in plant traits; generalist species nectar composition; pollination; reproductive ecology; variation in plant traits; generalist species

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ryniewicz, J.; Skłodowski, M.; Chmur, M.; Bajguz, A.; Roguz, K.; Roguz, A.; Zych, M. Intraspecific Variation in Nectar Chemistry and Its Implications for Insect Visitors: The Case of the Medicinal Plant, Polemonium Caeruleum L. Plants 2020, 9, 1297. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101297

AMA Style

Ryniewicz J, Skłodowski M, Chmur M, Bajguz A, Roguz K, Roguz A, Zych M. Intraspecific Variation in Nectar Chemistry and Its Implications for Insect Visitors: The Case of the Medicinal Plant, Polemonium Caeruleum L. Plants. 2020; 9(10):1297. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101297

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ryniewicz, Justyna, Mateusz Skłodowski, Magdalena Chmur, Andrzej Bajguz, Katarzyna Roguz, Agata Roguz, and Marcin Zych. 2020. "Intraspecific Variation in Nectar Chemistry and Its Implications for Insect Visitors: The Case of the Medicinal Plant, Polemonium Caeruleum L." Plants 9, no. 10: 1297. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101297

APA Style

Ryniewicz, J., Skłodowski, M., Chmur, M., Bajguz, A., Roguz, K., Roguz, A., & Zych, M. (2020). Intraspecific Variation in Nectar Chemistry and Its Implications for Insect Visitors: The Case of the Medicinal Plant, Polemonium Caeruleum L. Plants, 9(10), 1297. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101297

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