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Flowers adaptively face down-slope in 10 forest-floor herbs

  1. A. USHIMARU1,†,*,
  2. D. KAWASE2,
  3. A. IMAMURA1

Article first published online: 29 JUN 2006

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01153.x

Issue

Functional Ecology

Functional Ecology

Volume 20, Issue 4, pages 585–591, August 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

USHIMARU, A., KAWASE, D. and IMAMURA, A. (2006), Flowers adaptively face down-slope in 10 forest-floor herbs. Functional Ecology, 20: 585–591. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01153.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 335 Takashimacho, Kyoto 602–0878, Japan, and

  2. 2

    Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Kamitanokami, Otsu 520–2113, Japan

  1. †

    Present address: Department of Human Development, Kobe University, 3–11 Tsurukabuto, Kobe 657–8501, Japan.

* †Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ushimaru@kobe-u.ac.jp

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 29 JUN 2006
  2. Article first published online: 29 JUN 2006
  3. Received 31 January 2006; revised 2 May 2006; accepted 23 May 2006 Editor: James Cresswell

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Keywords:

  • Down-slope flower orientation;
  • Erythronium japonicum;
  • reproductive success;
  • slope angle;
  • slope direction;
  • vertical orientation

Summary

  • 1
    An animal-pollinated plant living on a slope should orientate its flowers down-slope towards the more open space if by doing so it receives more pollinator visits and thereby achieves increased reproductive success.
  • 2
    We measured flower orientation relative to slope direction on individuals of 10 species of forest-floor herbs in cool temperate forests in Japan. For one of these species, Erythronium japonicum, we also manipulated flower orientation to test experimentally for its effects on both male and female reproductive function.
  • 3
    In all 10 species, flowers were preferentially orientated down-slope. This pattern was more pronounced in plants growing on steeper slopes.
  • 4
    Our manipulative field experiment in Erythronium japonicum demonstrated that pollen dispatch was highest in flowers orientated down-slope. Additionally, flowers orientated up-slope may have achieved a lower seed set on steep slopes.
  • 5
    We conclude that down-slope orientation of flowers was a general phenomenon among the species that we studied, and that this behaviour was adaptive in enhancing plant fitness through pollination.
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