Meeting Abstract
Individual trait adaptation can influence the evolution of complex phenotypes such as floral pollination syndromes. In Penstemon, hummingbird-adapted flowers have evolved many times from bee-adapted ancestors. We examined the definition of Penstemon pollination syndromes in context of nectar volume and nectary development. Across 19 Penstemon species, we tested the evolutionary association of nectar volume and nectary area with pollination syndrome where we found both traits having an association with pollination syndrome. Then, we assessed the cellular-level processes shaping nectary area by measuring the width of 5 nectary cells in selected species, where we found a combination of cell expansion and cellular proliferation. Lastly, we assessed trait correlations in a segregating population from an intersyndrome cross and found that nectary area, nectar volume, and stamen length were all correlated with one another. These results show independent origins of hummingbird syndrome in Penstemon have parallel developmental processes in nectary patterning.
