Present address: Department of Botany, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
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Inflorescence architecture and wind pollination in six grass species
Article first published online: 8 DEC 2004
DOI: 10.1111/j.0269-8463.2004.00921.x
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How to Cite
FRIEDMAN, J. and HARDER, L. D. (2004), Inflorescence architecture and wind pollination in six grass species. Functional Ecology, 18: 851–860. doi: 10.1111/j.0269-8463.2004.00921.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 8 DEC 2004
- Article first published online: 8 DEC 2004
- Received 23 March 2004; revised 20 July 2004; accepted 22 July 2004
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Keywords:
- Poaceae;
- pollen removal;
- pollen receipt
Summary
- 1Inflorescence architecture and floral morphology vary extensively within the Poaceae, but the functional significance of this variation remains largely unknown. As grasses are wind-pollinated, their inflorescence diversity probably reflects alternate solutions to manipulating airstreams to enhance pollen export and import. We tested this hypothesis with two field experiments that contrasted pollen removal and receipt by compact and diffuse inflorescences.
- 2In the ‘aggregation’ experiment, we tied together panicle branches of two species with diffuse inflorescences, creating more compact inflorescences. Aggregation reduced pollen removal from both species, probably by increasing boundary-layer thickness. The effects of inflorescence aggregation differed between the two species in a manner that is consistent with pollen-size differences, which could affect the ability of pollen grains to pass through the thickened boundary layer around stigmas.
- 3The ‘staking’ experiment constrained inflorescence motion and revealed that culm characteristics contribute to the interaction between grass inflorescences and airstreams. In particular, inflorescence oscillation principally serves pollen removal for species with compact inflorescences, but is of primary importance in pollen receipt for species with diffuse architectures.
- 4These results suggest that inflorescence architecture interacts with wind in a complex manner to facilitate pollination and supports the hypothesis that the extensive diversity of inflorescence architecture within the Poaceae represents evolutionary solutions to the physical constraints of wind pollination.