Drivers of selection on flower traits in a spatio-temporal context

Most flowering plants rely on animal pollinators for reproduction. Alongside abiotic environmental factors, these interactions drive selection on flower traits. Global climate changes are disrupting seasonal patterns, impacting plants, pollinators and their interactions.

Therefore, studying plant-pollinator interactions across diverse environments and replicated gradients is crucial for understanding how plants adapt to changing conditions.

Altitudinal gradients provide natural laboratories for studying diverse climatic conditions and plant-pollinator diversity, offering insights into the main drivers of selection on flower traits.

In this proposal, we aim to explore how biotic and abiotic factors shape selection on floral traits along an altitudinal gradient and between seasons in a tropical system.

We propose an integrated approach including plant-pollinator interactions, flower functional traits, pollination systems, mating systems and co-flowering species along an altitudinal gradient in the tropical Andes of Bolivia, in combination with pollination-efficiency experiments using representative, widely distributed genera.

In addition, we will evaluate the adaptation of an introduced species Digitalis purpurea to novel environments along the gradient and its impact on local communities.

Together, the components of this project will provide a comprehensive eco-evolutionary framework for evaluating and, ultimately, predicting the outcomes of environmental changes.