To reveal the pollination mechanism of Cypripedium subtropicum (Orchidaceae)

Date：2021-01-01 Publisher： Click：

The orchids conservation team from YAFG reveals the pollination mechanisms of Cypripedium subtropicum, which provides a new thought for better understanding the wild genus pollination pattern, pollination mechanism, ecological adaptation and co-evolution of Cypripedium subtropicum. The study found that the main pollinator of Cypripedium subtropicum is hoverfly. When visiting Cypripedium subtropicum, the hoverfly would lick the white appendages on the labellum with the licking mouthparts. The chemical components mainly are protein, sugar, amino acid and water, which are similar to the main components of the honey dew of aphids. Moreover, the (E)-β-farnesene and β-pinene in the odor of Cypripedium subtropicum are the main components of more than 20 aphids' alarm pheromones. The study results suggest that Cypripedium subtropicum both visual mimicry of an aphid-colonized labellum with a reward and chemical mimicry of aphid alarm pheromones to attract hoverflies for pollination. This is the first described example of a rewarding mimicry system in plants, where the models are animals with their secretions and the reward is similar in nutrients to that of the model mimicked. The research paper has been published in New Phytologist (impact factor 8.512).