Although ＂dry-type＂ stigmas are widely re- garded as ancestral in angiosperms, the early-divergent family Annonaceae has copious stigmatic exudate. We evaluate three putative functions for this exudate： as a nutrit...Although ＂dry-type＂ stigmas are widely re- garded as ancestral in angiosperms, the early-divergent family Annonaceae has copious stigmatic exudate. We evaluate three putative functions for this exudate： as a nutritive reward for pollinators; as a pollen germination medium; and as an extragynoecial compitum that enables pollen tube growth between carpels. Stigmatic exudate is fructose dominated （72.2%）, but with high levels of glucose and sucrose; the dominance of hexose sugars and the diversity of amino acids observed, including many that are essential for insects, support a nutritive role for pollinators. Sugar concentration in pre-receptive flowers is high （28.2%）, falling during the peak period of stigmatic receptivity （17.4%）, and then rising again toward the end of the pistillate phase （32.9%）. Pollen germination was highest in sugar concentrations 〈2%. Sugar concentrations during the peak pistillate phase therefore provide optimal osmolarity for pollen hydration and germination; subsequent changes in sugar concentration during anthesis reinforce protogyny （in which carpels mature before stamens）, enabling the retention of concentrated exudate into the staminate phase as a pollinator food reward without the possibility of pollen germination. Intercarpellary growth of pollen tubes was confirmed： the exudate therefore also functions as a suprastylar extragynoecial compitum, overcoming the limitations of apocarpy.展开更多
基金funded by grants from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council(776713)the University of Hong Kong Research Committee,both awarded to R.M.K.S.and C.C.P.
文摘Although ＂dry-type＂ stigmas are widely re- garded as ancestral in angiosperms, the early-divergent family Annonaceae has copious stigmatic exudate. We evaluate three putative functions for this exudate： as a nutritive reward for pollinators; as a pollen germination medium; and as an extragynoecial compitum that enables pollen tube growth between carpels. Stigmatic exudate is fructose dominated （72.2%）, but with high levels of glucose and sucrose; the dominance of hexose sugars and the diversity of amino acids observed, including many that are essential for insects, support a nutritive role for pollinators. Sugar concentration in pre-receptive flowers is high （28.2%）, falling during the peak period of stigmatic receptivity （17.4%）, and then rising again toward the end of the pistillate phase （32.9%）. Pollen germination was highest in sugar concentrations 〈2%. Sugar concentrations during the peak pistillate phase therefore provide optimal osmolarity for pollen hydration and germination; subsequent changes in sugar concentration during anthesis reinforce protogyny （in which carpels mature before stamens）, enabling the retention of concentrated exudate into the staminate phase as a pollinator food reward without the possibility of pollen germination. Intercarpellary growth of pollen tubes was confirmed： the exudate therefore also functions as a suprastylar extragynoecial compitum, overcoming the limitations of apocarpy.
