Reproductive Ecology of Flowering Plants: Patterns and Processes PDF
Preview Reproductive Ecology of Flowering Plants: Patterns and Processes
Rajesh Tandon K. R. Shivanna Monika Koul Editors Reproductive Ecology of Flowering Plants: Patterns and Processes Reproductive Ecology of Flowering Plants: Patterns and Processes (cid:129) (cid:129) Rajesh Tandon K. R. Shivanna Monika Koul Editors Reproductive Ecology of Flowering Plants: Patterns and Processes Editors RajeshTandon K.R.Shivanna DepartmentofBotany AshokaTrustforResearchinEcologyandthe UniversityofDelhi Environment NewDelhi,Delhi,India Bengaluru,Karnataka,India MonikaKoul DepartmentofBotany,HansrajCollege UniversityofDelhi NewDelhi,Delhi,India ISBN978-981-15-4209-1 ISBN978-981-15-4210-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4210-7 #SpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.2020 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartofthe materialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation, broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherphysicalway,andtransmissionorinformation storageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodology nowknownorhereafterdeveloped. Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.inthispublication doesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevant protectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. The publisher, the authors, and the editorsare safeto assume that the adviceand informationin this bookarebelievedtobetrueandaccurateatthedateofpublication.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorsor theeditorsgiveawarranty,expressedorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinorforany errorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade.Thepublisherremainsneutralwithregardtojurisdictional claimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations. ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Dedicated to Professor H.Y. Mohan Ram Foreword Higher plantreproductionisimportant asitsustainslifeonthisplanet.Allcereals, millets,pulses,nuts,andoilseedsareproductsofplantreproduction.Itis,therefore, no wonder that constant human endeavor has gone into understanding different aspects of flowering plant reproduction through field and laboratory experimenta- tion.Plantreproductiveecologyiscomparativelyayoungerfield.Yet,onaccountof itsimportance,ithasattractedwideattentionofbiologistspursuingdiversefields. Successfulaccomplishmentofplantreproductiondependsheavilyuponcompat- ibility of plants with biotic and abiotic components of the environment they live in.Theimportancehasincreasedmanifoldfollowingchangescausedinenvironment byanthropogenicpressures. Alotofinformationonreproductiveecologyhasbeengeneratedinrecentyears. For want of a journal or book solely devoted to this subject, it is scattered and, therefore, nothandytoresearchers pursuingthisaspect of plantreproduction.This volumewillfillthislong-feltneed. Edited by three eminent biologists who have themselves contributed richly to unravel the mysteries of plant reproduction, the book comprises 16 chapters. Each chapterisauthoredbywell-groundedauthor/authorsinthesubject. Thebookmakesforanabsorbingread,asitpresentssystematicandlucidaccount of what reproductive biology is all about and in what way plant reproduction is linked with ecology. Students of botany and evolutionary biology will find latest informationonfloralsymmetry,nectary,pistil,andsecondarypollenpresentationin thebook. Plant breeders andcropgeneticists willbe enrichedbyChaps.8,11,12, 13, and 15. Chapters 2, 14, and 16 are of wide interest, focusing on the impact of climate change, the availability of pollinators and seed-dispersing birds, and the accomplishmentofplantreproduction.Asitis,thebookwillbenefitawidespectrum ofbiologists. Thebookiswellwritten,withsuitableillustrations,whereverrequired,tohelpthe readers. It will also help develop greater interest for plant reproductive ecology amongbiologists. FormerProfessorofBotany,JammuUniversity A.K.Koul JammuandKashmir,India January3,2020 vviiii Preface Plantreproductiveecologyhasemergedasoneofthemostversatileandimportant fields of plant sciences. It answers two basic questions relevant to the survival of plant species: First, how do plants reproduce to sustain their populations? And second, how do plants strategize to escape reproductive failure? Considering the enormous diversity of plant species and their habitats, significant amount of varia- tionisexpectedintheecologicalprocessesthatfacilitatetheirreproductivesuccess. Furthermore, the scales at which the processes become evolutionarily tenable also varyoversuccessivegenerationsofplants.Overtheyears,theseaspectshavebeen explored and understood at different levels of organization to answer specific questions.Inrecentyears,theprogressofthesubjecthasbeenstimulatedbygrowing interdisciplinarity to address the key global issues of ensuring future food security and conservation of biodiversity in the light of human-induced environmental changes,particularlyclimatechange. Thisisanareathathasattractedalargenumberoflaboratoriesaroundtheworld, andenormousnewknowledgeisbeinggenerated.Thevastinformationgeneratedin thesubjectismostlyscatteredamongjournals.Thoughtherearebooksbyexpertson thesubjectfocusingonfloweringplants,theylargelydealwithspecializedareasof reproductive biology. The need for an updated, comprehensive book that does not represent conventional presentation of information has been felt time and again by reproductive ecologists. Although the information in this discipline is too vast to compileinto a single volume, this book tries to highlight some of the fundamental processesandpatternslinkedtoplantreproduction.Thefocushasbeentosynthesize andusetheinformationthatisavailableforgreaterunderstandingandinterpretation oftheecologicalprocessesgoverningreproduction. Reproductive ecological database broadly includes the detailsofflowering phe- nology, floral biology, pollination mechanism, pollen-pistil interaction, breeding system,andnaturalrecruitment.Chapter1,authoredbytheeditors,isanoverview onthesekeyaspectsandsomeofthenoticeabledependenciesassociatedwiththem. However,variationsmayarisedependingonspecies.Chapter2,authoredbySaxena and Rao, highlights the potential of plant phenophases in understanding global climate change. After providing a conceptual background on the topic, it also highlights the key gaps in the knowledge and illustrates some pertinent examples ontheissue. ix x Preface Chapters 3 and 4, authored by K.R. Shivanna, briefly highlight the structural details of the pistil including that of the embryo sac in relation to its function. Besides the structural diversity of stigma, style, and ovary, these chapters also elaborate upon physiological and biochemical features that govern the dynamics during the pollen-pistil interaction, and provide information on extracellular substancesthatplayaroleinintercellularinteractionsatvariouslevelspriortoand duringfertilization. Pollination is an important event that decides the generation of a progeny. It is facilitatedbybothbioticandabioticfactors.Enormousliteraturehasaccumulatedon variousfacetsofpollinationovertheyears.Asisbecomingclearbybothfieldand laboratorystudies,plant-pollinatorinteractionsaregovernedandmediatedbyvari- ous cues. Chapter 5, authored by Sashidhran and Venkatesan, updates on current knowledge about floral volatiles (olfactory cues) as a functional trait for plant reproduction. It also discusses in detail an account of diverse functions of floral volatiles, their chemical nature and biosynthesis including the regulation of their emissionbybioticandabioticfactors. Chapter6,contributedbyPhukelaetal.,givesanoverviewofthedistributionof floral nectaries along with a brief account on the genetic switches that regulate nectary development among flowering plants. By mapping the distribution of nectaries on angiosperm phylogeny, the authors trace the evolutionary history of nectaries across angiosperm lineages and discuss the role of nectary as a key functionaltraitinpollination. Chapter7,byR.GeetaandEapsaBerry,providesastimulatingaccountonfloral symmetry, the facet that is variable in angiosperms as polysymmetrical, disymmetrical, and monosymmetrical forms. The authors discuss reasons behind the variation and role played by ecological interactions of flowers with biota, especially with pollinators, which may exert selection to favor one or the other symmetry state. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, the authors also look at the evolutionofsymmetryandhowitmaygetcompromisedinplants. Resource allocation and optimization strategies are important as these favor natural selection and maximize plant fitness to the prevailing biotic and abiotic stresses.Chapter8,byKumarietal.,showsthatresourceallocationandoptimization areregulatedbylife-historypatternsandbreedingsystemofthespeciestoensurethe developmentofaviableprogeny.Theauthorsgiveinformationonvarioustheories prevalentonresourceallocationandpartitioningandalsodiscussthemethodsused toquantifyresourcesallocatedforreproductiveeffortcitingvariousexamplesfrom theirresearchwork. Dioecy, characterized by the presence of distinct male and female plants, is relativelyrareinfloweringplantsandisanimportantmechanismthatisaccompanied byobligateoutcrossing.Chapter9,contributedbyManglaetal.,explainstheroleof variousecologicalfactorswhichworkinunisontoshapedioecyinangiosperms.The authors discuss in detail the role of floral attributes, wind pollination, fruit type, clonality,andresourceallocationwhichfavorandhelpinthemaintenanceofdioecy. The knowledge of floral attributes is important to understand the intricacy of reproductive mechanisms that are integral to establish successful plant-pollinator Preface xi interaction and maximize plant fitness. Chapter 10, authored by Barman et al., focuses on structural and mechanistic diversity of secondary pollen presentation among angiosperms. The significance of these methods mainly lies in the targeted depositionofpollenforsuccessfulmating.Chapter11,authoredbyKaur,dwellson the outbreeding patterns in angiosperms in detail and also highlights the diverse outbreeding packages that the flowering plants have evolved citing interesting examples. Moreover, it briefs on the plasticity in resource allocation in relation to theoutcomesofsexdifferentiationinhigherplants. Sexual selection in plants is rarely discussed, as it has been more extensively investigated inevolutionofanimalsfor theirbetteradaptability tochoose traitsfor mate. Chapter 12, by Kaul and Raina, gives a succinct account on how sexual selection occurs in plants. After providing a brief historical perspective on the issue, it discusses various theories, conceptual developments, and roles of various traitsassociatedwithsexualselectioninplants. Apomixisisanasexualmodeofreproductionthroughseedswhereinmeiosisand fertilizationarebypassed.Chapter13,contributedbySharmaandBhat,isacrispand consolidatedinformationonthisveryimportanttopic.Theauthorstracetheoriginof apomixis citing various types and variations found in angiosperms, especially grasses.Whileearliertheapomicticlineageswereconsideredtobeadeadend,the authorsindicatethatcurrentunderstandingtreatsthemasameansofdiversification ofpolyploidcomplexesinangiosperms. Frugivoreanimalsareknowntohaveplayedacrucialroleintheevolutionofseed dispersalmechanisms.Chapter14,bySinuetal.,providesaninterestingaccounton theroleofendozoochorythroughbirds,bats,andfishes,especiallyinlong-distance dispersal of seeds. It then discusses in detail about the complexity of ecological drivers that materializes the dispersal and points out the present-day threats to this importantmutualisticinteractioninthetropics. The widespreadglobal adoptionoftransgenic plantshasbeen controversialand hasraisedconcernsregardingthetransgeneflow.Chapter15,authoredbyLaletal., comprehensively deliberates on most of the pertinent aspects of transgene flow including the biosafety concerns. It also highlights the details of alien genetic elementsintrogressedintothegenomeofweedyandwildspeciesthroughtransgene flow from crop species and how they confer selective advantage in some species. The approaches that need to be adopted and the analytical methods and mitigation strategiestobefollowedtocontainharmfulimpactsareexplained.Furthermore,the chapter also discusses in detail studies carried out on some of the selected crop speciessuchasmaize,rice,andmustard. Chapter16isonthepresent-daychallengeposedbypollinatordecline.Authored by the editors, K.R. Shivanna, Rajesh Tandon, and Monika Koul, this chapter highlights major concern over loss of pollinators, particularly in the tropics. It discusses the details of drivers for pollinator decline across the globe and points out as to how anthropogenic activities are the major culprits and the need for mitigation of the crisis. It also highlights the close linkage between the pollinator crisisandfoodandnutritionalsecurityofthegrowingpopulation. xii Preface This book is a tiny tribute to Professor H.Y. Mohan Ram, one of the most passionate teachers of botany in India. He was an ardent propagator of botanical knowledge. We are sure that this volume would be of interest to teachers and researchers in both the basic and applied fields of plant sciences including agricul- turalscientists,foresters,andconservationbiologists. It is a privilege to thank all the contributors who have made this book a reality. WeappreciateYashMangla,VineetKSingh,BanishaPhukela,ArjunAdit,Sachin, and Manisha for their willingness to help during the finalization of this edited volume.OurwarmappreciationgoestotheSpringerteamfortheirconstantsupport andcomradeship. NewDelhi,Delhi,India RajeshTandon Bengaluru,Karnataka,India K.R.Shivanna NewDelhi,Delhi,India MonikaKoul
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