Transcontinental Patterns in Floral Pigment Abundance Among Animal-pollinated Species

Flower color arises primarily from pigments that serve dual functions: attracting pollinators and mitigating environmental stresses. Among major pigment types, anthocyanins and UV-absorbing phenylpropanoids (UAPs) fulfill one or both roles and should be widespread. Our review of the UV-vis absorptio...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Narbona, Eduardo, Valle García, José Carlos del, Whittall, Justen B., León Osper, Melissa, Buide, M. Luisa, Pulgar, Iñigo, Gutiérrez de Camargo, María Gabriela, Cerdeira Morellato, Leonor Patricia, Rodríguez Castañeda, Nancy L., Rossi, Victor, Ortiz Ballesteros, Pedro Luis, Arista Palmero, Montserrat
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repository:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/174573
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/174573
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-94709-4
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Anthocyanins
Betalains
Carotenoids
Chlorophylls
Flower color
Flower pigments
UV-absorbing phenylpropanoids
UV-vis absorption capacity
Description
Summary:Flower color arises primarily from pigments that serve dual functions: attracting pollinators and mitigating environmental stresses. Among major pigment types, anthocyanins and UV-absorbing phenylpropanoids (UAPs) fulfill one or both roles and should be widespread. Our review of the UV-vis absorption profiles of major floral pigments demonstrates that UAPs are the primary UV protectants. Next, we analyzed the floral pigment composition of 926 animal-pollinated species from California, Southern Spain, and Southeastern Brazil. UAPs were ubiquitous (the “dark matter” of the flower). Among the remaining pigment types, ~ 56% of species had anthocyanins, ~ 37% had carotenoids, and ~ 17% had chlorophylls (some species had > 1 pigment type). Pigment abundance varied in response to abiotic and biotic factors, particularly with pollinator type in California. Despite regional differences in environmental filtering, pollination guilds, and relatedness, UAPs are omnipresent and there is a transcontinental stable distribution of flower colors and their underlying floral pigments.

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