Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38720433›Full record

ArticleAnnals of botany2024

Pollinator shift ensures reproductive success in a camouflaged alpine plant.

Tao Huang, Bo Song, Zhe Chen, Hang Sun, Yang Niu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of botany, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. PhytoKeys · 2026
    Article
  2. Reproductive strategies of two color morphs ofFrontiers in plant science · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tao HuangState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-5946-9610
Bo SongState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China.
Zhe ChenState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China.
Hang SunState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0001-5127-4579
Yang NiuState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 31971569National Youth Talent Support Program and Yunnan Youth Talents Plan YNWR-QNBJ-2018-183
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsThere are intrinsic conflicts between signalling to mutualists and concealing (camouflaging) from antagonists. Like animals, plants also use camouflage as a defence against herbivores. However, this can potentially reduce their attractiveness to pollinators.

methodsUsing Fritillaria delavayi, an alpine camouflaged plant with inter-population floral colour divergence, we tested the influence of floral trait differences on reproduction. We conducted pollination experiments, measured floral morphological characteristics, estimated floral colours perceived by pollinators, analysed floral scent and investigated reproductive success in five populations. KEY

resultsWe found that the reproduction of F. delavayi depends on pollinators. Under natural conditions, a flower-camouflaged population had 100 % fruit set and similar seed set to three out of four yellow-flowered populations. Bumblebees are important pollinators in the visually conspicuous yellow-flowered populations, whereas flies are the only pollinator in the flower-camouflaged population, visiting flowers more frequently than bumblebees. The camouflaged flowers cannot be discriminated from the rock background as perceived by pollinators, but may be located by flies through olfactory cues.

conclusionsCollectively, our results demonstrate that the flower-camouflaged population has different reproductive traits from the visually conspicuous yellow-flowered populations. A pollinator shift from bumblebees to flies, combined with high visitation frequency, compensates for the attractiveness disadvantage in camouflaged plants.

Indexed as

FlowersFritillariaPollinationReproductionAnimalsBeesBiological MimicryColorDipteraFruitPigmentationalpine ecologycamouflageFritillaria delavayiplant colourpollinationpollinator shiftingreproductive success

Identifiers

PMID38720433
PMCPMC11232517

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.