Abstract Detail

Anatomy and Morphology

MacNeill, Bryan [1], McKain, Michael [2], Brewer, Killian [3], Hudson, Marvin [4].

Comparison of Floral Morphology in the Mexican Endemic Genus Polianthes.

Angiosperms exhibit an incredible array of floral forms, which is known in part to have resulted from coevolution with pollinators. The genus Polianthes L. is a group in which there are two distinct pollination syndromes. Plants in subgenus Bravoa exhibit floral morphology that reflects traits typically associated with hummingbird pollination: most species have bright-red flowers with tubular-shaped corollas and are generally scentless. In subgenus Polianthes,the floral traits are more closely aligned with those known to mediate pollination via hawkmoths: they are white in coloration, have long-slender tubes that end with a large corolla flare, and are highly aromatic. Thegoal of this study is to determine if floral morphology across species is consistent with these pollination syndromes and the current taxonomy of the group. We measured and subsequently analyzed five distinct floral traits of herbarium specimens using principal component analysis (PCA). Our PCA results show most species morphologically clustered within their respective subgenera suggesting that these characters are consistent across subgenera. Interestingly, despite having some traits associated with hawkmoth pollination (high aromaticity and white coloration), P. montana morphometrically resembles other species within Bravoa. This could be indicative of an independent transition to hawkmoth pollination, an evolutionary intermediary between hawkmoth and hummingbird pollination syndromes, or a potential hybrid origin of the species. Future work will include increased sampling for morphology and constructing a phylogeny to build a framework by which we examine floral evolution within the group

1 - 434 27th Street, Tuscaloosa , AL, 35401, United States
2 - 11974 Arbor Valley Pkwy, Northport, AL, 35475, United States
3 - University fo Alabama , Biology, 500 hackberry LN, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA
4 - University of Alabama , Biology, 500 hackberry LN , Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

Keywords:
Pollination syndrome
floral morphometrics
Polianthes.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Anatomy and Morphology Posters
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2020
Time: 5:00 PM Time and date to be determined
Number: PAM002
Abstract ID:651
Candidate for Awards:None