Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C000552/1
Dissecting the interaction between pollinator behaviour and a single plant gene controlling floral morphology
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor B Glover, University of Cambridge, Plant Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor L Chittka, Queen Mary University of London, Sch of Biological & Behavioural Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Cambridge, Plant Sciences
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Global Change
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Population Genetics/Evolution
- Population Ecology
- Conservation Ecology
- Behavioural Ecology
- Abstract:
- Petals are produced by plants to make their flowers attractive to animals which transfer pollen from one flower to another. The petals act as a bright advertisement to attract these pollinating animals. The majority of plant species produce cone-shaped cells on the surface of their petals. These cells have been shown to make the petals more attractive to pollinators. It is not surprising, then, that most petals have these cone shaped cells. Previous experiments have indicated that conical cells in the petal epidermis of Antirrhinum majus (garden snapdragon) result in increased seed set because more pollinating bees visit the flowers, when compared to mutant snapdragon plants which only make flat petal epidermal cells. In this project we will try to understand how and why the bees prefer the conical cells, by comparing normal snapdragons and the mutant ones with flat petal cells. Our first aim is to determine how having conical cells affects a flower. We will test whether conical cells alter perceived petal colour, scent, temperature or nectar availability, in order to understand why bees might find them more attractive than flat petal cells. Our second aim is to understand how bees interact with petals with conical and flat cells. We will test whether they react to visible differences between flowers, whether they react to scent or temperature differences, whether it takes them longer to extract nectar from either flower type, and how they learn to handle the different flowers. Finally, we will use electron microscopy to survey the petal cell shapes present in plant families which have shown shifts in pollinators, and investigate whether there is any relationship between cell shape and the type of animal that pollinates the flower. These experiments will allow us to dissect the interaction between bee behaviour and a single plant gene, enhancing our understanding of the co-evolution of plants and their pollinators during their evolutionary history.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C000552/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Standard Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Standard Grant
This grant award has a total value of £188,207
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Equipment | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £2,048 | £102,201 | £27,476 | £9,470 | £47,012 |
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