Abstract
Key message
The gynoecium in M. denudata was thermogenic, and the first peak in the female phase lasted longer than the second peak in the male phase during flowering.
Abstract
The floral biology of Magnolia denudata, including the thermogenesis of floral buds and blooming, were investigated using a portable infrared thermal imaging radiometer and digital infrared thermometer. We found that M. denudata buds have extremely dense trichomes that maintain internal temperatures above external temperatures. The pattern of thermogenesis in M. denudata anthesis consisted of two distinct episodes corresponding to apparent receptivity of the stigmas in the female phase and incipient shedding of pollen in the male phase: one begins in the female phase and lasts about 6 h and another occurs synchronously 24 h later and lasts about 4 h in the male phase. In addition, we found that the temperature was significantly elevated in the inner petals upon flowering, indicating that they may play an important role in producing a warm floral chamber. These results increase our understanding of the strategies used by Magnoliaceae blossoms to maintain an optimal microclimate at low temperatures in the early spring.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities (No. HJ2010-23), National Science Fund of China (No. 31100450), National Science Fund of China (No. J1103516). We are grateful to RTKB Technology Co., Ltd for the use of their thermographic imaging equipment.
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Communicated by J. Lin.
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Wang, R., Liu, X., Mou, S. et al. Temperature regulation of floral buds and floral thermogenicity in Magnolia denudata (Magnoliaceae). Trees 27, 1755–1762 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0921-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0921-x