RUI: Floral Nectar Production: Implications for Pollen Flow and Plant Fitness

尽管传粉者对许多植物性状作出反应已经是不言而喻的，但这些反应的性质还没有得到深入的研究。这项研究旨在调查一种这样的反应：熊蜂收集花蜜。这项研究将确定自然选择是否可以在植物上发挥作用，使花蜜产量的细微变化可能会提高植物的适应性。19个离散性但又相互关联的假设将得到检验。这些措施旨在允许对生殖产出进行独立评估。此外，繁殖产量将根据种子数量和质量进行衡量。落基山多年生草本植物Polemonium foliosis simum的生殖生物学在过去十年中得到了深入的研究，它将作为研究有机体。拟议项目的完成将产生比任何其他分类群目前可获得的更多与白杨花蜜生产有关的数据。

Although it has become axiomatic that pollinators respond to numerous plant traits, the nature of these responses have not been studied in appreciable depth. This research is designed to investigate one such response: the collection of nectar by bumblebees. The research will determine whether natural selection can operate on plants in such a way that subtle changes in rates of nectar production might yield increases in plant fitness. Nineteen descrete, yet interrelated, hypotheses will be tested. These are designed to allow an independent assessment of reproductive output. Additionally, reproductive output will be measured in terms of both seed number and quality. Polemonium foliosissimum, a Rocky Mountain perennial herb whose reproductive biology has been intensely studied for the past decade, will serve as the study organism. Completion of the proposed project will yield more data relating to floral nectar production in P. foliosissimum than is currently available for any other taxon.