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Sugary Exudates in Plant Pollination

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Secretions and Exudates in Biological Systems

Part of the book series: Signaling and Communication in Plants ((SIGCOMM,volume 12))

Abstract

Sugary secretions are present in many plants and frequently they are linked with reproductive processes. Most of the gymnosperms, both extant and extinct, possess a pollination drop, a diluted sugary secretion protruding from the micropyle, which serves for pollen capture, hydration, and transport in the ovule. It is most probable that this secretion attracted insects giving origin to a plant–insect relationship for pollination based on a sugary solution well before the raise of angiosperm. Floral nectar, a new type of sugary exudate produced by a specific secreting tissue (the nectary), evolved rapidly when the transition from naked ovule to closed carpel was completed and the pollination drops were no longer available as a food resource for insects. Floral nectar is widely distributed and very diverse in the extant angiosperms where it represents the more common reward for a large variety of pollinators. In this chapter, we highlight the evolutionary relationship between nectar and pollination drops in terms of morphology, physiology, ecology, and biochemistry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. BIOCONNET (Biodiversity and Conservation Network), Department of Environmental Sciences “G. Sarfatti”, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Massimo Nepi & Ettore Pacini

  2. Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada

    Patrick von Aderkas

Authors
  1. Massimo Nepi
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  2. Patrick von Aderkas
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  3. Ettore Pacini
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Correspondence to Massimo Nepi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Rhizosphere Biology, Colorado State University, Shepardson 217, Fort Collins, 80523-1173, Colorado, USA

    Jorge M. Vivanco

  2. Inst. Zelluläre und Molekulare, Botanik (IZMB), Universität Bonn, Kirschallee 1, Bonn, 53115, Germany

    František Baluška

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Nepi, M., von Aderkas, P., Pacini, E. (2012). Sugary Exudates in Plant Pollination. In: Vivanco, J., Baluška, F. (eds) Secretions and Exudates in Biological Systems. Signaling and Communication in Plants, vol 12. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23047-9_8

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