Self Pollination in Parisian Pansies Flowering Plant

December 26, 2023

GS Paper III Environment and Ecology

Context: In the first evidence of rapid evolution, scientists have discovered a flower growing in Paris, France, is producing less nectar and smaller flowers to attract fewer pollinators.

Study: Flowers are Starting to Self Pollination Due to Fewer Insects

The researchers used the “resurrection ecology” method, wherein they planted seeds from the 1990s and 2000s, which were 20-30 years old, against their contemporary descendants from 2021.

What is the resurrection approach in ecology?

The resurrection approach is a powerful way to observe evolution in action in the wild and provide insight into how plant populations evolve in response to stressors such as climate change and invasive species.
In the Resurrection Approach, dormant ancestors are reared in a common garden with contemporary descendants.

About Evolution:

Evolution: It is a theory in biology postulating that the various types of plants, animals, and other living things on Earth originate in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations.
- All living creatures are related by descent from common ancestors.
Charles Darwin: He argued that organisms come about by evolution, and provided a scientific explanation of how evolution occurs and why it is that organisms have features such as wings, eyes, and kidneys clearly structured to serve specific functions.
Rapid Evolution: According to the theory, evolutionary change is characterized by short periods of rapid evolution followed by longer periods of stasis in which no change occurs.

Findings: According to scientists, the flowers of the Parisian pansies (scientifically known as Viola arvensis) grown in Paris produced 20% less nectar and were 10% smaller compared to 20-30 years ago.
Evolution: Scientists discovered that the plant evolved to self pollination to attract fewer pollinators due to the decreasing availability of insects.
Problem: Scientists warned that the move may benefit plants in the short term but may threaten their existence owing to climate change and other environmental changes.

About Pollination

Pollination: It is the act of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma.
Objective of Pollination: The goal is to create offspring for the next generation.
- One of the ways that plants can produce offspring is by making seeds.
Types of Pollination:
- Self pollination: The pollination of a flower by pollen from the same flower or from another flower on the same plant.
- Cross Pollination: The pollination of a flower by the transfer of pollen grains from the anther of one plant to the stigma of another different plant.
Role of Nectar: Plants produce nectar(sugary fluid) to attract insects, which collect nectar for food and transport pollen between plants in nature.
- The interlinked give-and-take relationship has evolved over 100 million years of coevolution.