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Efects of florivory on the anatomy, histochemistry and resource production of lowers of Senna aversiflora (Herb.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby
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  • Edinalva Alves Vital dos Santos,
  • Emília Arruda,
  • Ana Virgínia Leite,
  • Natan Messias Almeida
Edinalva Alves Vital dos Santos
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco Departamento de Tecnologia Rural

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Emília Arruda
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
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Ana Virgínia Leite
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco Departamento de Tecnologia Rural
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Natan Messias Almeida
Universidade Estadual de Alagoas
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Abstract

Florivory directly affects floral structures, especially petals and anthers. The physical damage to these whorls can alter the characteristics of the flowers, compromise their functions and, consequently, impact fertility and reduce the reproductive success of the species. We provide the floral anatomical description of Senna aversiflora (Herb.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby. We measured various anatomical traits of petals and quantified the levels of chemical compounds and the pollen produced by intact and damaged flowers in order to identify characters associated with the plant-florivore interaction. We found that the epidermis (adaxial and abaxial surfaces) and mesophyll of the petals of healthy flowers was thicker when compared to damaged flowers. We infer that the smaller thickness of traits associated with the absence of characters with deterrent effect on herbivores and greater production of attractive/nutritive chemical compounds in relation to defense compounds contribute to make the species highly susceptible to florivory. Pollen production in damaged flowers did not differ between the different stages of floral development. However, florivory has a negative effect on the amount of pollen produced. Damaged flowers had less pollen than healthy flowers. We conclude that florivory in S. aversiflora exerts significant pressure on petal anatomy and resource production by flowers.
16 Sep 2024Submitted to Microscopy Research and Technique
17 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
17 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
04 Oct 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 Oct 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned