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Differentiation in a tropical deceptive orchid: colour polymorphism and beyond

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Abstract

Colour polymorphism has often been described among individuals of deceptive orchid species, and several studies have investigated reproductive success variations among colour morphs. However, whether colour morphs differed in other traits has received little attention in previous studies. Here, we report the case of a tropical deceptive orchid in Reunion Island that exhibits three different colour varieties. We investigated patterns of trait variation among colour varieties and found significant differences in floral and inflorescence morphology. Interestingly, we found that most populations included only individuals of a single variety, and that strong differences exist among varieties in spatial distribution and flowering phenology. This situation differs from previously reported cases of floral polymorphism in deceptive orchids where colour morphs co-occur and flower in the same populations. The spatio-temporal variation in flowering suggests that colour varieties have independent reproductive ecologies and are adapted to local conditions. We propose that potential variations in pollinator species abundance or diversity and the co-occurrence of nectar-producing species in the community may have driven the adaptation of each variety to its current pollination niche.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jean-Maurice Tamon, Hermann Thomas, Joel Dupont, Alain Jubault, Reunion Herbarium and amateur orchid enthusiasts for help in locating populations, Claire Micheneau for sharing unpublished data, Benny Bytebier for access to herbarium data from the East African Herbarium (EA), Claire Doutrelant and Doris Gomez for reflectance analysis, Olivier Gimenez for statistical help and Doyle McKey for helpful comments. Financial support was provided by Université de la Réunion, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UMR 5175 CNRS), and the Société Française d’Orchidophilie (grant to B.S.).

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  1. UMR C53, Laboratoire des Peuplements Végétaux et Bioagresseurs en Milieu Tropical, 15 Avenue René Cassin, BP 7151, 97715, St Denis de la Réunion Cedex 9, France

    Nicolas Juillet & Thierry Pailler

  2. Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175 CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier cedex 5, France

    Nicolas Juillet, Roxane Delle-Vedove, Laurent Dormont & Bertrand Schatz

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  1. Nicolas Juillet
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  2. Roxane Delle-Vedove
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  5. Thierry Pailler
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Correspondence to Nicolas Juillet.

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Juillet, N., Delle-Vedove, R., Dormont, L. et al. Differentiation in a tropical deceptive orchid: colour polymorphism and beyond. Plant Syst Evol 289, 213–221 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-010-0344-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-010-0344-8

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