Environmental contribution to floral trait variation in Chamaecrista fasciculata (Fabaceae: Caesalpinoideae)

Although intraspecific variation in plant floral traits has been documented for a number of plant species, the causes of such variation are largely unknown. We first quantified floral trait variation in an Illinois prairie population of Chamaecrista fasciculata Michx. We then used a field experiment to determine the contribution of leaf herbivory to this variation and a greenhouse experiment to determine the contribution of leaf herbivory, and variable soil nutrient and water content to floral trait variation. Variation in environmental factors explained a significant portion of the naturally occurring variation in corolla width, ovule number, ovule size, and anther length. In the field, manual removal of 25% or more leaf area reduced ovule size and anther length (and by inference, pollen production), and delayed flowering. In the greenhouse, plants from which we removed 25% or more of their leaf area or which were given limited water produced fewer ovules than control plants. Addition of nutrients interacted with soil moisture to affect corolla diameter and ovule number. Despite our demonstration of significant environmental impacts on reproductive traits, these impacts were relatively much smaller than those on plant size, suggesting that floral traits are buffered against variable resource availability.