The size of individual Delphinium flowers and the opportunity for geitonogamous pollination

Abstract

1. Animal-pollinated plants influence their mating success through characteristics of their individual flowers and the arrangement of flowers into inflorescences. Previous studies of inflorescence function have focused on flower number, so the influences of traits of individual flowers on pollinator attraction and self-pollination between flowers remain unknown. 2. To investigate the effects of flower size and number on pollinator attraction and behaviour on inflorescences, we reduced the perianth size of flowers of Delphinium bicolor Nuttall and Delphinium glaucum S. Watson. 3. Reduction in flower size decreased the number of visits per inflorescence by bumble bees (Bombus spp.), but increased the number of probes per visit. In contrast, both attraction and probes per visit increased in a decelerating manner with number of open flowers. The average number of probes per flower, which combines the effects of pollinator attraction and behaviour on inflorescences, did not differ significantly between small- and large-flowered plants, or with flower number. 4. The absence of significant variation among plants with different floral and inflorescence characteristics in visits per flower and nectar standing crop per flower indicate that bees achieved an ideal free distribution. 5. Our results suggest that large flowers reduce the incidence of geitonogamous pollination without reducing the frequency of probes per flower. © 2006 The Authors.