Speaker
Description
Angiosperm reproduction is driven by two largely animal-dependent consecutive processes: pollination and seed dispersal. Factors governing these interactions are critical for plant regeneration, habitat structure, animal communities, population genetics, and hence ecosystem stability. A major driver of plant-animal interactions is trait matching: morphological, chemical, and mechanical traits of flowers, fruits, and animals such as size or chemical composition that promote pairwise interactions and prohibit others. Critically, floral and fruit traits are influenced by a variety of factors susceptible to global change such as temperature or precipitation patterns. Yet most studies on the potential effects of global change on flower and fruit traits are localized and species-specific. Thus, any systematic effects of climate change on flower and fruit traits remain unknown. We report a meta-analysis on the effects of temperature on flower and fruit traits using the elevation-for-temperature approach. Using data from 151 species in 81 studies covering ranges between 0 and 5500 m above sea level, we show that in flowers, floral shape and longevity was highly susceptible to elevational changes, whereas in fruits crop size and micronutrient content are affected. These results indicate that climate change may drive changes in flower and fruit traits with downstream consequences for animal communities, plant regeneration patterns, and ecosystem functioning.
| Status Group | Senior Scientist |
|---|---|
| FOR TALKS: Poster Presentation Option | No, I prefer to present only as a talk. |