The evolution of floral gigantism

Current Opinion in Plant Biology
Charles C DavisDavid A Baum

Abstract

Flowers exhibit tremendous variation in size (>1000-fold), ranging from less than a millimeter to nearly a meter in diameter. Numerous studies have established the importance of increased floral size in species that exhibit relatively normal-sized flowers, but few studies have examined the evolution of floral size increase in species with extremely large flowers or flower-like inflorescences (collectively termed blossoms). Our review of these record-breakers indicates that blossom gigantism has evolved multiple times, and suggests that the evolutionary forces operating in these species may differ from their ordinary-sized counterparts. Surprisingly, rather than being associated with large-bodied pollinators, gigantism appears to be most common in species with small-bodied beetle or carrion-fly pollinators. Such large blossoms may be adapted to these pollinators because they help to temporarily trap animals, better facilitate thermal regulation, and allow for the mimicry of large animal carcasses. Future phylogenetic tests of these hypotheses should be conducted to determine if the transition to such pollination systems correlates with significant changes in the mode and tempo of blossom size evolution.

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Citations

Feb 14, 2013·Journal of Experimental Botany·Beth A Krizek, Jill T Anderson
Dec 14, 2012·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Guillermo J AmadorDavid L Hu
Jan 6, 2010·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Peter K Endress
May 1, 2009·Plant Physiology·Taylor S FeildTim J Brodribb
Oct 30, 2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Lachezar A NikolovCharles C Davis
Oct 2, 2012·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Michael A Fishman, Lilach Hadany
Aug 27, 2015·Journal of Chemical Ecology·Gao ChenXiang-Hai Cai
Apr 15, 2015·Bio Systems·Michael A Fishman, Lilach Hadany
Jul 13, 2016·Current Biology : CB·Steven D Johnson
Aug 25, 2017·Journal of Integrative Plant Biology·Gao ChenWei-Bang Sun
Feb 11, 2014·American Journal of Botany·Lachezar A NikolovCharles C Davis
Aug 1, 2009·American Journal of Botany·Kenneth J Wurdack, Charles C Davis

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