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Preferential pollination of yellow-flowered morphs of Raphanus raphanistrum by Pieris and Eristalis spp.

Abstract

COROLLA-COLOUR polymorphisms occur in wild populations of many angiosperms, but little is known of the selective factors that maintain them. Valentine has suggested that yellow/white corolla-colour polymorphisms may be adaptively neutral1. I have observed extremely strong discrimination by some insect pollinators between the yellow and white corolla-colour forms of polymorphic wild radish. These observations, which are described below, indicate that corolla-colour differences are of adaptive importance in this and similar cases.

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KAY, Q. Preferential pollination of yellow-flowered morphs of Raphanus raphanistrum by Pieris and Eristalis spp.. Nature 261, 230–232 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/261230a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/261230a0

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