XVI International Botanical Congess

A model system of experimental populations with two snapdragon color morphs is yielding insights into how common measures of pollinator visitation translate into patterns of plant reproduction. Results include: 1) assortative mating among floral phenotypes can occur even in the absence of pollinator constancy, if floral preferences are heterogeneous among pollinators or over time, 2) pollen receipt in snapdragons is best predicted by number of flower visits, whereas pollen export is better predicted by the total time bees spend in a flower, and 3) the number and duration of visits to a flower are not independent, so that there is the potential for a trade-off between the quantity and quality of pollinator visits and/or between female and male components of reproductive success.