异型雄蕊的研究进展

就异型雄蕊的概念、在被子植物中的分布、在传粉过程中的作用及其发育进行了概述,并对未来的研究方向作一展望.异型雄蕊指一朵花内的雄蕊在形态、大小、颜色等方面有显著的区别,并存在不同程度分工的现象.异型雄蕊在野牡丹科、茄科、干屈菜科、豆科、雨久花科等多个科中都有分布,但其分化与程度常随类群而异.虽然人们对于这一现象的认识由来已久,但研究尚不深入.对于异型雄蕊的研究可以加深人们对植物与其传粉者之间关系的理解,并为传粉生物学与植物繁育系统研究提供新的视角和启示.     

Heteranthery as a solution to the demand for pollen as food and for pollination – Legitimate flower visitors reject flowers without feeding anthers

• Heteranthery, the presence of feeding and pollinating anthers in the same flower, seems to mediate the evolutionary dilemma for plants to protect their gametes and yet provide food for pollinators. This study aims to elucidate the role of heteranthery in the buzz‐pollinated Senna reniformis.
• The fecundity of pollen from long‐, medium‐ and short‐sized anthers was determined by hand cross‐pollination experiments, and the quantity, size, ornamentation and viability of pollen of different anthers were compared. Rates of flower rejection by bees were measured in anther removal experiments to assess the preferences of flower visitors for feeding or pollinating anthers.
• Large bees, which were the effective pollinators of self‐incompatible S. reniformis, avoided flowers without short feeding anthers, but not those without medium or long anthers. Illegitimate small and medium‐sized bees were unresponsive to anther exclusion experiments. Long anthers deposited pollen on the back and short anthers on the venter of large bees. Pollen from long anthers had higher in vitro viability and higher fruit and seed set after cross‐pollination than pollen from other sized anthers.
• Short anthers produce feeding pollen to effective pollinators and long anthers are related to pollination of S. reniformis. Bee behaviour and size was found to directly influence the role of anthers in the ‘division of labour’. Only large bee pollinators that carry the pollinating pollen from long anthers in ‘safe sites’ associated short anthers with the presence of food. In the absence of these larger bee pollinators, the role of heteranthery in S. reniformis would be strongly compromised and its function would be lost.