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Explosive pollination may confer a pre-pollination, male-competition advantage to plants
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by Andrea Romero, edited by Swapna Subramanian and Julia Harenčár
Bruce Anderson, Ana Carolina Sabino-Oliveira, Carlos Andres Matallana-Puerto, César Augusto Arvelos, Cinthia Soares Novaes, Daniela Cristina de Cario Calaça, Isadora Schulze-Albuquerque, João Pedro Santos Pereira, Jordana Oliveira Borges, Lilian Rodrigues Ferreira de Melo, Patrick Menezes Consorte, Sara Medina-Benavides, Tamires de Oliveira Andrade, Thainã Resende Monteiro, Vanessa Gonzaga Marcelo, Victor H. D. Silva, Paulo Eugênio Oliveira, and Vinícius Lourenço Garcia de Brito: Read the article
Pollen explosion! Photo credit: Anderson et al.Pollen explosion! Photo credit: Anderson et al.
In a novel discovery, researchers have found that a Brazilian plant uses explosive bursts of pollen to blast rival pollen off hummingbird’s beaks, giving it the upper hand in reproduction. While intense competition for reproductive success is well documented in animals, for example male dragonflies “scooping out” competitor sperm from the female, this is the first time that such an aggressive strategy has been shown in plants. Talk about fighting dirty.
People typically think that plants are passive organisms that mainly rely on pollinators to carry pollen. However, the flowers of Hypenia macrantha challenge this idea. These are bright red tubular flowers that are the perfect shape for a hummingbird's beak. When they are visited by a bird, they eject their pollen in a controlled explosion which knocks off pollen from other plants and ideally would ensure that their own stays on. The researchers attempted to understand how this competitive behavior impacts pollination success and what it might mean for plant reproduction.
To investigate whether the plant’s explosion removes the pollen it had before visiting, the team simulated hummingbird visits with a museum lent dead hummingbird skull covered in fluorescent pollen. They compared two different forms of the flowers: non-triggered – with the explosive pollen sacs intact, and triggered – which has already discharged the explosive bursts. Using slow-motion video, they recorded the dislodging and transfer of pollen, tracking the old (fluorescent) and new pollen to understand the effects.
They found that flowers with the explosive pollen sacs intact were better at depositing their own pollen on the replica beak. These flowers left behind more of their new pollen and got rid of most of the fluorescent pollen granules. This mechanism boosts their chances of successful pollination by removing rival pollen and dominating a pollinator's beak, such that the next plant the bird visits will be pollinated by this ballistic flower.
This discovery makes us rethink competition in the plant world. Flowers aren't just passive participants during pollination but tactical strategists who sabotage rivals to ensure reproductive success. By uncovering this explosive strategy, the researchers reveal that plants, like animals, have evolved complex and competitive behaviors to survive and thrive. This leads us to question everything we thought we knew about plant-pollinator relationships, opening the door to a new understanding of how fiercely life competes at every level.
Andrea Romero is a PhD candidate in Dr. Simon “Niels” Groen’s lab at the University of California, Riverside. Fascinated by the creative ways plants defend themselves, Andrea’s research focuses on Amsinckia menziesii var. intermedia and its use of pyrrolizidine alkaloids to deter herbivores and nematodes, while also influencing surrounding ecosystems. Outside the lab, Andrea loves hanging out with her dogs, spending time with her family, and sharing a passion for science through outreach programs that aim to inspire future scientists.
