
@article {107010,
	title = {Fine-tuned spatiotemporal dynamics of sporophylls in movement-assisted dichogamy: A study on Clerodendrum infortunatum},
	journal = {PLANT SPECIES BIOLOGY },
	year = {2022},
	month = {02/2022},
	abstract = {<p>Hermaphroditism is cost-effective because a common investment in reward and attractive structures yields benefits through both male and female reproductive success. However, the advantage is accompanied by an increased risk of self-pollen deposition, which is generally disadvantageous. Hermaphroditic plants reduce self-pollen deposition by separating sporophylls (a term applied to the stamens and carpels) either spatially (herkogamy) or temporally (dichogamy). In movement-assisted dichogamy, both sporophylls show coordinated motion in opposite directions. However, the effectiveness of this movement in reducing self-pollen deposition may be compromised at the point when the sporophylls cross each other and are close enough to interfere, resulting in a transition phase problem. The solution to this problem lies in the details of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the sporophylls in relation to their reproductive maturity. We studied these details across the floral lifetime of a protandrous shrub, Clerodendrum infortunatum (Lamiaceae), in rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats, India. We took photos of flowers at regular time intervals and measured sporophyll angles from the images. We also carried out a field experiment to determine stigma receptivity. We found that the stigma lobes remained narrowly opened at transition, and the stigma surfaces remained non-receptive. Our findings suggest that the effectiveness of dichogamy is maximized through two properties of the transition phase: physical resistance to self-pollen deposition by narrow stigma lobe opening and chemical non-receptivity of the stigma during this phase. This study emphasizes the importance of accessory adaptations in movement-assisted dichogamy to tackle the transition phase problem.</p>
},
	doi = {10.1111/1442-1984.12367},
	author = {Mukhopadhyay, Amritendu and Quader, Suhel}
}
@article {45928,
	title = {Ants on Clerodendrum infortunatum: Disentangling Effects of Larceny and Herbivory.},
	journal = {Environ Entomol},
	volume = {47},
	year = {2018},
	month = {2018 Oct 03},
	pages = {1143-1151},
	abstract = {<p>Nectar larcenists extract nectar from flowers without pollinating them. A reasonable expectation is that any form of nectar larceny should have a detrimental effect on the plant{\textquoteright}s reproductive success. However, studies reveal an entire range of effects, from highly negative to highly positive. This variation in effect may be partly explained by additional, unmeasured, effects of nectar larcenists on plants. In a study system where two ant species Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabr.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Trichomyrmex destructor (Jerd.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) act as nectar larcenists, we examined the effect of larceny on the female reproductive success of Clerodendrum infortunatum Gaertn. (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) in rain forest fragments of the Western Ghats, India. This was done through a combination of field observations and a series of field experiments looking at the effects of excluding ants from inflorescences. We found that T. destructor reduces fruit set considerably. Rather than this being a consequence of nectar larceny, however, our experiments show that the negative effect arises instead from the herbivorous behavior of the ant. At a population level, both ant species prefer edges over interiors of forest patches, spatially concentrating the interaction zone to forest edges. Simultaneously considering multiple ecological interactions and disentangling their relative contributions might explain the large variation across species in the observed effect of larceny. The overall population effect of nectar larceny and herbivory is likely to depend on the spatial structuring of plants and ants.</p>
},
	issn = {1938-2936},
	doi = {10.1093/ee/nvy090},
	author = {Mukhopadhyay, Amritendu and Quader, Suhel}
}
