Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Chemical composition of floral perfumes in Mormodes (Orchidaceae): implications for selective attraction of euglossine bees.","authors":"Dhenife Mirelly Silva, Thais Samila de Oliveira Ferraz, Arthur Domingos-Melo, Manfred Ayasse, Paulo Milet-Pinheiro","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf133","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf133","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The genus Mormodes (Catasetinae) comprises ∼80 Neotropical orchid species, predominantly from the Amazon. Like other Catasetinae, these orchids offer floral perfumes as their sole reward to specialized pollinators - male euglossine bees (Apidae). Growing as epiphytes on tall, usually dead trees, Mormodes plants pose challenges for studying their natural history. Consequently, little is known about its pollinator interactions and perfume chemistry. Studies on related genera suggest that species-specific perfume blends are critical for attracting distinct euglossine species. Here, we present the first extensive ecological and chemical study of Mormodes, testing whether perfume variation is associated with differences in pollinator spectra and may function as a prezygotic reproductive barrier.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Floral perfumes of ten species were collected via dynamic headspace and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Floral visitors were captured on flowers in a region of high Mormodes diversity in the Amazon forest, northern Brazil.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We identified 139 compounds in the floral perfumes of Mormodes spp., with species-specific profiles. While six species exhibited sesquiterpene-dominated bouquets, three species were dominated by aromatic compounds and one by monoterpenes. In the floral visitor survey, we reported ten species of Euglossa, four of Eulaema and one each of Exaerete, Aglae and Eufriesea. Some Mormodes species had exclusive pollinator spectra, while others shared pollinators.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Unlike most Catasetinae perfumes, typically dominated by monoterpenes or aromatics, Mormodes perfumes are mostly sesquiterpene-based, a trend that may represent a third evolutionary trajectory within the subtribe. Species-specific chemical profiles were associated with distinct pollinator spectra, while similar bouquets resulted in pollinator sharing. These results highlight the key role of floral perfume chemistry in selective pollinator attraction and reproductive isolation. However, in species producing similar perfume chemistry and attracting the same pollinators, additional isolating mechanisms, such as floral morphology and phenology, might be required.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"755-768"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12464956/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144663868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Apple fruitlet physiological characteristics and their influence on diffuse visible/near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy.","authors":"J E Larson, T Zuber, T M Kon","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf124","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf124","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The recent rise in digital technologies to inform agronomic practices has necessitated further understanding of how plant physiological characteristics affect light reflectance measurements that these technologies employ. A young apple fruitlet undergoes rapid changes in size, chlorophyll content and trichome density as it develops. Our objective here was to characterize these changes in 'Fuji' and 'Honeycrisp' fruit to understand how those changes affect diffuse spectral reflectance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Visible/near-infrared reflectance spectra were captured with a portable visible and near-infrared spectrometer on individual fruit from 20 to 36 d after full bloom. From these reflectance spectra principal component analysis (PCA) was performed and vegetation indices were calculated. A method was developed to quantify trichome density using image analysis. Water content, trichome density and chlorophyll concentration were determined for each fruitlet. Regression analysis and correlation coefficients were calculated to understand how these measures relate during fruitlet development.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>PCA revealed the first principal component contributed to 86.56 % of the variation in the reflectance data. Along this component there was a gradient of fruit size. These size effects led to lower reflectance at wavelengths associated with chlorophyll and water absorption. Chlorophyll concentration and trichome density decreased with increasing fruit size. The total amount of chlorophyll in the fruit increased as fruit grew larger. Total chlorophyll content had a stronger relationship with fruit size than with trichome density.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Fruit size and in turn total chlorophyll content had the greatest effects on reflectance spectra. When measuring reflectance with a portable visible and near-infrared spectrometer that has a fixed lens size, the amount of tissue covering that lens is a major influence on the reflectance spectra. There were differences in chlorophyll content between the two apple cultivars studied that may have larger implications for the photosynthetic capacity of fruit.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"733-744"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12464950/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144511384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A combination of stabilizing selection and random walk are associated with phylogenetic signal in hard pines.","authors":"Jorge Cruz-Nicolás, David S Gernandt","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf147","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf147","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Although phylogenetic niche conservatism is widely accepted, in many cases the cause of this conservatism is unclear. The presence of phylogenetic signal could extend to morphological and anatomical characters, chemical soil properties and DNA content. However, as sessile organisms, especially those that migrated toward drier or tropical conditions, are subject to environmental heterogeneity, phylogenetic signal in these characters could be explained by a combination of different evolutionary forces.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assessed the phylogenetic signal in DNA content, chemical soil properties, climate and morphoanatomical characteristics, tested different evolutionary models and performed an ancestral state reconstruction in 30 species of hard pines geographically distributed in North America, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. To reinforce our hypothesis of phylogenetic niche conservatism, we applied a niche similarity test among different species pairs, performed ecological niche modelling and projected these models in geographical space.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We found strong phylogenetic signals in the characters evaluated, indicating a retention of characteristics throughout the evolutionary history of these pines. The best models to explain these phylogenetic signals were Ornstein-Uhlenbeck, Brownian Motion and Early Burst, indicating the action of stabilizing selection, with an input of random walk. The detection of niche overlap supported our hypothesis of phylogenetic niche conservatism; however, we found more similarity than expected in more phylogenetically distant species.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, we detected strong phylogenetic signal, and our results supported the hypothesis of phylogenetic niche conservatism, but there was more similarity in some species that have evolved under similar selective pressures independent of phylogenetic relationships. No single evolutionary model fully explains trait divergence; depending on the specific trait, divergence could be explained primarily by stabilizing selection or random walk in these hard pines.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"821-836"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12464948/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144648377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary history of Australian samphires (Salicornieae, Amaranthaceae).","authors":"Anže Žerdoner Čalasan, Diego F Morales-Briones, Gudrun Kadereit, Kelly A Shepherd","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf232","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Tecticornia is the most species-rich genus within the tribe Salicornieae. These halophytes are distributed across the Australian continent along coastlines and inland salt lake shores, playing a key ecological role in these hostile habitats. However, species delimitation within the genus remains controversial and little is known about infrageneric phylogenetic relationships. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to infer the evolutionary history of Tecticornia and to genetically assess the reliability of current species concepts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We sampled multiple accessions per taxon from nearly all currently recognised species in Australia. We used a target enrichment approach with two bait sets: Angiosperms353 and a custom Salicornieae bait set ('Salibaits'). Analyses were performed using HybPiper, and we addressed paralogy using a tree-based approach. In addition, we tested the potential influence of missing data and/or missing gene trees on the topology of the final phylogenetic tree.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Despite extensive gene tree discordance and the presence of short branches, the customised Salibaits set consistently produced better-resolved trees than the Angiosperm353 bait set. Missing data were found to have a negligible effect on the final tree inference. These data highlight there is genetic support for lineages in line with observed morphological variation, suggesting markedly more taxon diversity than is currently circumscribed. While we have shown there is genetic evidence to support the characterisation of several new species awaiting formal description, it is clear further molecular and morphological investigation is required to resolve continent-wide species aggregates, each comprising multiple novel taxa.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The target enrichment method effectively addressed the challenges of species delimitation in Tecticornia posed by reduced morphology and high ecological plasticity. We have shown that while there are several complexes constituting variants widely distributed across the Australian continent, some well-defined taxa have highly restricted distributions, which may represent conservation priorities.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145147437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Isotopic and genetic evidence of partial mycoheterotrophy in leafy variants of Cremastra aphylla, a predominantly leafless orchid.","authors":"Kenji Suetsugu, Hidehito Okada, Shun K Hirota, Yoshihisa Suyama","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf235","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The evolution of mycoheterotrophy represents a major evolutionary transition that likely proceeds through intermediate stages such as initial and partial mycoheterotrophy. Cremastra aphylla, a predominantly leafless, fully mycoheterotrophic orchid, occasionally produces individuals with well-developed green leaves that likely contain chlorophyll. However, it remains unclear whether these forms represent phenotypic variants or distinct taxa with independent evolutionary origins. Additionally, given the occasional co-occurrence of C. aphylla with the closely related, leafy C. appendiculata, these individuals may have regained some photosynthetic capacity via hybridization or introgression.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We integrated chlorophyll concentration and fluorescence measurements, stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analysis, MIG-seq-based phylogenomics, and metabarcoding of mycorrhizal partners to investigate the physiological ecology and evolutionary background of both leafless and leafy C. aphylla individuals.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Both morphotypes exhibited elevated δ13C values compared to co-occurring autotrophic species. However, leafy individuals showed significantly lower values, indicating the presence of 13C-depleted photosynthates. A two-source mixing model based on 13C enrichment indicated that photosynthesis contributed approximately 40% of leaf carbon and 20% of floral carbon. Chlorophyll analyses confirmed active chlorophyll synthesis and photosystem II efficiency in leafy individuals, comparable to those of autotrophic plants. Fungal metabarcoding revealed that both morphotypes, each bearing coralloid rhizomes, associated with the same Psathyrellaceae OTU, likely Coprinellus magnoliae. MIG-seq analysis detected no introgression with C. appendiculata and no genetic differentiation between the morphotypes, ruling out the possibility that the leafy form represents either an introgressed lineage or an undescribed taxon.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings provide the first integrated isotopic and genetic evidence for partial mycoheterotrophy in leafy C. aphylla individuals, although they remain highly dependent on fungal carbon. Our results refine the current understanding of the nutritional continuum in partially mycoheterotrophic orchids and highlight C. aphylla as a valuable model for investigating the evolutionary transition toward full mycoheterotrophy.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145136395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experimental Thinning Reduces Inter-ovary Competition Among and Within Inflorescences.","authors":"Sabrina S Gavini","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf236","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf236","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Resource availability often limits female reproductive success in plants, especially when multiple flowers within inflorescences simultaneously compete for limited resources. Here, I explored whether relaxing inter-ovary competition-through experimental thinning of inflorescences and/or inflorescence buds -influences resource allocation and enhances reproductive output in Lupinus polyphyllus, a legume species with vertical inflorescences that typically show a decline in fruit and seed production from basal to distal flowers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>I implemented a gradient of reproductive thinning: (1) no removal (control), (2) removal of half of the current open inflorescences, and (3) removal of both half of the open inflorescences and all inflorescence buds (i.e., future racemes). For three randomly selected remaining inflorescences per plant, I recorded fruit number, and within three sections along the inflorescence (basal, middle, and distal). For each fruit in each of these three inflorescences, I also counted the number of viable seeds, aborted seeds, and unfertilized ovules.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Results strongly supported the inter-ovary competition hypothesis. Inflorescence removal increased fruit set and viable seed production, reduced seed abortion, especially when both inflorescences and buds were removed. These effects occurred consistently across all positions within inflorescences, suggesting enhanced resource allocation even to distal flowers, which are often resource-limited. Ovule production per flower was unaffected, indicating no over-compensation prior to fertilization. Fertilized ovule numbers declined from basal to distal flowers, consistent with non-uniform pollen receipt, likely influenced by bumblebee foraging behavior. However, fertilization ratios remained high (80-90%) across positions and treatments.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings demonstrate that inflorescence thinning can effectively relax resource-based constraints within and among inflorescences, enhancing female success without altering pollination dynamics. This contributes to our understanding of how architectural plasticity and developmental constraints shape reproductive trade-offs in flowering plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145136391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Significant difference in Miscanthus species root carbon exudation rate.","authors":"Amanda J Holder, Rebecca Wilson, Karen Askew, Paul Robson","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf113","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf113","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The cultivation of Miscanthus, a giant perennial grass and promising biomass crop, is expected to increase globally in response to climate mitigation policies and sustainable agriculture goals. Little is known about root carbon (C) exudation and fine root architecture or how this might differ between Miscanthus species. To understand the functional biology of three diverse Miscanthus species and to evaluate impacts on soil C cycling, the aim of this study was to quantify root C exudation rates and track fine root growth.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We use a controlled environment with plants grown in rhizotron boxes (28 L) to quantify living root C exudation rates and fine root growth of Miscanthus sacchariflorus, M. sinensis and M. × giganteus. Weekly non-destructive images of visible roots were analysed for root length density and root diameter during the growing season. Above- and below-ground biomass and C and nitrogen content were also recorded immediately after exudate sampling.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>The exudation rate was significantly lower for M. sacchariflorus compared with M. sinensis and M. × giganteus (0.0 versus 0.6 g C g-1 root dry mass year-1). Coupled with this, M. sacchariflorus had greater above-ground biomass, a smaller increase in root mass and a higher root C concentration. Rapid root growth was observed, especially for M. × giganteus, for which root length density (0-30 cm depth) was higher compared with both M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis in the earlier growth weeks.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results reveal a possible fundamental difference in nutrient resource acquisition and allocation between M. sacchariflorus versus M. sinensis and M. × giganteus. We estimate that Miscanthus root C exudation could add up to 2 g C kg-1 soil month-1 (during the peak growing season), a considerable influx of new labile C. This unique insight into differences in Miscanthus exudation indicates the potential for targeting Miscanthus breeding for enhanced soil C sequestration.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"553-565"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12455722/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144198080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genotypic responses to different environments and reduced precipitation reveal signals of local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in woodland strawberry.","authors":"Ivan M De-la-Cruz, Femke Batsleer, Dries Bonte, Carolina Diller, Timo Hytönen, José Luis Izquierdo, Sonia Osorio, David Posé, Aurora de la Rosa, Martijn L Vandegehuchte, Anne Muola, Johan A Stenberg","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf025","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Climate change is causing increasing temperatures and drought, creating new environmental conditions, which species must cope with. Plant species can respond to these shifting environments by escaping to more favourable environments, undergoing adaptive evolution or exhibiting phenotypic plasticity. In this study, we investigate genotype responses to variation in environmental conditions (genotype-by-environment interactions) over multiple years to gain insights into the plasticity and potential adaptive responses of plants to environmental changes in the face of climate change.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We transplanted 16 European genotypes of Fragaria vesca (Rosaceae), the woodland strawberry, reciprocally between four sites along a latitudinal gradient from 40°N (Spain) to 70°N (northern Finland). We examined genotype-by-environment interactions in plant performance traits (fruit and stolon production and rosette size) in ambient weather conditions and a reduced precipitation treatment (as a proxy for drought) at these sites over 2 years.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Our findings reveal signals of local adaptation for fruit production at the latitudinal extremes of F. vesca distribution. No clear signals of local adaptation for stolon production were detected. Genotypes from higher European latitudes were generally smaller than genotypes from lower latitudes across almost all sites, years and both treatments, indicating a strong genetic control of plant size in these genotypes. We found mixed responses to reduced precipitation: several genotypes exhibited poorer performance under the reduced precipitation treatment across most sites and years, with the effect being most pronounced at the driest site, whereas other genotypes responded to reduced precipitation by increasing fruit and/or stolon production and/or growing larger across most sites and years, particularly at the wettest site.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides insights into the influence of different environments on plant performance at a continental scale. Although woodland strawberry seems locally adapted in more extreme environments, reduced precipitation results in winners and losers among its genotypes. This might ultimately reduce genetic variation in the face of increasing drought frequency and severity, with implications for the capacity of the species to adapt.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"611-621"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12455714/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143555680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nuances of floral mimicry in Queen of Sheba orchids.","authors":"Daniela Scaccabarozzi, Gavin R Flematti, Mark C Brundrett, Mario Vallejo-Marín, Klaus Lunau, Monica Gagliano, Emiliano Pioltelli, Terry Houston, Andrea Aromatisi, Nina Sletvold","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf119","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf119","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Floral deception can range from finely tuned mimicry of specific rewarding plants (Batesian mimicry) to a general resemblance of the rewarding community (generalized food deception). We focused on two species in the deceptive Thelymitra variegata complex (Queen of Sheba orchids) to examine whether pollination is consistent with generalized food deception or with specific mimicry of co-flowering buzz-pollinated tinsel lilies (Calectasia spp.).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assessed (1) overlap in flower colour and scent between orchids, tinsel lilies and other flowers in the rewarding community and (2) pollinator sharing between orchids, tinsel lilies and other species, and (3) quantified orchid reproductive success in relation to abundance of tinsel lilies and other rewarding species.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We found that Thelymitra speciosa matches the flower colour and scent of its co-flowering tinsel lily, Calectasia gracilis, while Thelymitra porphyrosticta partly overlaps with co-flowering Calectasia demarzii in both traits. The orchids and tinsel lilies shared flower visitors, and the only visitor observed to transfer orchid pollen was the bee Anthoglossa plumata (Colletidae), which displayed a behaviour associated with buzz-pollination. This species was also observed to buzz-pollinate tinsel lilies. In T. speciosa, fruit production increased with abundance of both tinsel lilies and other rewarding species with similar flower colour, suggesting a combination of mimicry and magnet effects. However, relationships were driven by a single population. There was no association between rewarding community and reproductive success in T. porphyrosticta.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results are partly consistent with mimicry towards the co-flowering tinsel lily for both orchids. Specific mimicry is strongly supported by a close resemblance involving multiple floral traits, and by bee behaviour associated with the buzz-pollinated model. However, this contrasts with the lack of consistent effects of tinsel lily abundance on orchid reproductive success. The findings further suggest that shared floral scent may reinforce visual similarity and highlight that scent may be important in food mimicry systems. Overall, the T. variegata complex offers an interesting system for studying the evolution of mimicry, in particular regarding the contribution of visual and olfactory signals in food mimicry systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"583-595"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12455721/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144257238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inversion of the latitudinal diversity gradient at high taxonomic level in liverworts revealed by a phylogenetically deconstructive approach.","authors":"Jian Wang, Zun Dai, Thibault Kasprzyk, Xue Yao, Anders Hagborg, Lars Söderström, Jian Zhang, Alain Vanderpoorten, Flavien Collart","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcaf051","DOIUrl":"10.1093/aob/mcaf051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Like numerous patterns in ecology and evolution, the latitudinal diversity gradient varies across phylogenetic levels. Yet, studies that investigate systematically how patterns and processes change at different phylogenetic levels, from the tips to the root, are still relatively scarce. Here, we test the hypothesis that, despite the high long-distance dispersal capacities of liverworts, which would be expected to result in the homogenization of their distributions, an increase of diversity with latitude persists at increasing phylogenetic level owing to macroclimatic niche conservatism since the earliest evolutionary history of the group.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Liverwort distributions were scored for 450 operational geographical units worldwide. From the tips to the root, the phylogeny was sliced continuously to examine how taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity are correlated with latitude in a standardized way. Taxonomic diversity and mean phylogenetic distance among taxa were computed for each operational geographical unit at different phylogenetic levels and correlated with macroecological factors using spatial linear models.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>The correlation between taxonomic diversity and latitude shifted progressively from significantly negative at species level to non-significant, then significantly positive at the highest phylogenetic levels. Taxonomic diversity and mean phylogenetic distance were both significantly correlated with macroclimatic factors across all phylogenetic levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In contrast to the marked increase of angiosperm family diversity towards the tropics, the latitudinal diversity gradient evidenced at species level in liverworts decayed progressively at increasing phylogenetic level, suggesting that phylogenetic niche conservatism has played a much weaker role in liverworts than in angiosperms. The inverted latitudinal diversity gradient towards the deepest phylogenetic levels lends support to the hypothesis that the earliest lineages diversified in extra-tropical conditions, explaining why, unlike in angiosperms, high species richness in the tropics is not associated with high phylogenetic diversity in liverworts. Our results highlight the extent to which a phylogenetically deconstructive approach allows for a better understanding of the accumulation of biodiversity through time.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":"451-472"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12455717/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143707888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}