Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - 1:35 PM

SYMP 13-1: Selection on flower color from herbivores, pollinators, and other agents: Results from a long- term field experiment

Sharon Y. Strauss, University of California, Davis

Background/Question/Methods

Most studies of selection on traits explore the effects of only a single agent; however, most traits are under selection from a variety of agents or interactiors in complex natural communities.  In field experiments,  I explore the importance of herbivory, pollination and other agents associated with variation among years, as selective forces on a flower color polymorphism in wild radish, Raphanus sativus
Results/Conclusions

Using ten years of experimental herbivore removals in the field, combined with a few years of experimental hand-pollinations and descriptive demographic data on seedling and adult color frequencies,  I evaluate the relative importance of these sources of selection on flower color.