Ecological rule about pigmentation for animals applies to flowers
Thursday, January 8, 2015 - 15:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Flower pigmentation evolves in response to ultraviolet light -- and may be a bellwether of climate disruption, researchers suggest. One might predict that as Earth receives more ultraviolet light at extreme northern and southern climes due to depletion of the ozone layer, flowers farther from the equator are likely to begin to evolve traits, such as larger ultraviolet light-absorbing bull's-eyes. However, this may come at a cost as bigger bull's-eyes obscure the 'sweet center' of the flower where pollen and nectar rewards are found, thus making poorer targets for pollinators.