Floral hairs of Tradescantia fluminensis (Commelinaceae) manipulate behavior of hoverflies for effective pollination

Abstract

AbstractHairs often form on the flowers of Commelinaceae plants; however, their role in pollination ecology remains unclear. I examined the hypothesis that the dense hairs on the floral filaments of Tradescantia fluminensis (Commelinaceae) induce prolonged walking of pollinators on the petals, thus promoting effective pollination. This was done by comparing the behavior of flower‐visiting hoverflies on hair‐trimmed and control flowers. Hoverflies, the main pollinators of T. fluminensis, exhibited proboscis extension behavior towards hairs on floral filaments. Structural equation modeling analysis showed that the floral hairs increased the number of times the hoverflies touched the stamens, owing to the longer time that the hoverflies walked on the petals. These results suggest that the floral hairs of T. fluminensis mimic stamens, thereby enhancing pollination efficiency.