The interaction between plants and pollinators has always been the focus of research by plant ecologists. This interaction is generally considered to reflect the conflict of interest of both parties. The evolutionary direction of pollinators is to strive for the most economical way, that is, to consume the least amount of physical energy in the shortest time to obtain maximum return; and the evolutionary power of pollinated plants is to effectively receive and output pollen at the lowest cost, that is, to do May increase its outcrossing rate and breeding success. Studies have shown that plants can adopt a variety of strategies, such as evolving different flower types and inflorescence displays, to control pollinators' flower-visiting behavior and improve their pollination efficiency, thereby maximizing the expression of the female and male functions of the plant itself.
Sage (Salvia) is the largest genus in the Labiatae family and is distributed all over the world. The typical feature of this genus is its lever-like stamen structure, which forms an intricate interaction mechanism of dorsal pollination with its pollinators. Under the guidance of Researcher Li Qingjun, the 2007 doctoral student Zhang Bo of the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out related research in the Yulong Snow Mountain of Lijiang from 2008 to 2009, and further explored the ecological functions of the lever-shaped stamen and flower design of the genus.
In this study, Dr. Bo Zhang ingeniously manipulated the flower design of Salvia cyclostegia. By cutting off the lower arm of the lever-shaped stamen to disable the lever function and de-maleize, he studied the flower design change and lever function The effect of loss on pollinators' flower-visiting behavior and reproduction success. The study found that the plant's stamen lever pollination can be regarded as a pollen distribution mechanism that can promote pollen distribution; although pollinating bumblebees require significantly less time to access flowers that remove the lower arm of stamens, bumble bees visit the former The frequency of is significantly decreased, indicating that the lever-like stamens and the unique flower design are closely related to the formation of floral constancy by pollinators. This loyalty to flowers is formed during the long-term interaction evolution between plants and their pollinators. Sudden changes in flower type and structure will interfere with the pollinators' knowledge of flowers and reduce pollination efficiency (although this change is considered It is "beneficial" for pollinators, such as reducing obstacles in the pollination channel).
The research was supported by the "973" project (2007CB411603) and the Hundred Talents Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The research results have been published online in Annals of Botany.
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