How Much Pigment Should Flowers Have? Flowers With Moderate Pigmentation Have Highest Color Contrast

van der Kooi, Casper J. (2021) How Much Pigment Should Flowers Have? Flowers With Moderate Pigmentation Have Highest Color Contrast. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9. ISSN 2296-701X

[thumbnail of pubmed-zip/versions/1/package-entries/fevo-09-731626/fevo-09-731626.pdf] Text
pubmed-zip/versions/1/package-entries/fevo-09-731626/fevo-09-731626.pdf - Published Version

Download (1MB)

Abstract

Floral pigments are a core component of flower colors, but how much pigment a flower should have to yield a strong visual signal to pollinators is unknown. Using an optical model and taking white, blue, yellow and red flowers as case studies, I investigate how the amount of pigment determines a flower’s color contrast. Modeled reflectance spectra are interpreted using established insect color vision models. Contrast as a function of the amount of pigment shows a pattern of diminishing return. Low pigment amounts yield pale colors, intermediate amounts yield high contrast, and extreme amounts of pigment do not further increase, and sometimes even decrease, a flower’s color contrast. An intermediate amount of floral pigment thus yields the highest visibility, a finding that is corroborated by previous behavioral experiments on bees. The implications for studies on plant-pollinator signaling, intraspecific flower color variation and the costs of flower color are discussed.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: EP Archives > Multidisciplinary
Depositing User: Managing Editor
Date Deposited: 03 Jul 2023 04:21
Last Modified: 06 Oct 2023 12:58
URI: http://research.send4journal.com/id/eprint/2462

Actions (login required)

View Item
View Item