How
plants make their pollen available is thought to be a function of the
type and frequency of pollinators. However, evidence suggests that
flower morphology and the environment can also influence pollen
availability. Here, we evaluated the effect of climate, anther
morphology, and pollination syndrome (whether the plant is bird or
insect-pollinated) on anther dehiscence time (how long an anther takes
to open). We recorded anther dehiscence time in twelve species of Penstemon.
We also conducted an experiment to measure the effect of humidity and
temperature on anther dehiscence. We found that anther morphology was
correlated with anther dehiscence time. For example, anthers with wide
openings took the longest time to dehiscence. These results provide some
support for the hypothesis that anther dehiscence time has evolved to
decrease pollen wastage. Previous research indicated that
bird-pollinated species make all their pollen available soon after
flowers open, but here we found that hummingbird-pollinated species took
longer to open their anthers than most bee-pollinated species. The
experiment showed that high humidity and low temperature make anthers
take longer to open. Our results suggest that pollen presentation is
influenced by anther morphology, pollination syndrome, and the physical
environment.
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