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Flower structure and floral reward in Scopolia carniolica (Solanaceae) – is it a plant that can support the bumblebee food base in early spring?

Authors:
Karolina Tymoszuk at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University
Karolina Tymoszuk
Marta Dmitruk at University of Life Sciences in Lublin
Marta Dmitruk
Jacek Jachuła at The National Institute of Horticultural Research
Jacek Jachuła
  • The National Institute of Horticultural Research
Bożena Denisow at University of Life Sciences in Lublin
Bożena Denisow
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Abstract and Figures

Scopolia carniolica Jacq. is a perennial plant from the family Solanaceae. The study objective was to examine floral traits that may be important for interactions with floral visitors (i.e., blooming phenology, floral micromorphology, nectary characteristics, nectar quantity, nectar sugar composition, and pollen production). In S. carniolica, papillae, numerous non-glandular trichomes, and a few glandular trichomes were present on the inner corolla epidermal surface. Lipids, acidic lipids, tannins, and alkaloids were present in the non-glandular trichomes and in the corolla cells. The discoid-type nectary was located at the base of the ovary. Floral nectar was released through nectarostomata. The process of nectar release started in the bud stage (ca. 5–8 h before corolla opening) and continued to the 4th day of anthesis. The amount of secreted nectar peaked in 2-day-old flowers. The amount of produced nectar, nectar sugar concentration, and sugar mass varied significantly across years. On average, the total mass of sugars in the nectar was 0.54 mg/flower. S. carniolica produced sucrose-dominant nectar with no glucose. The sugar proportions did not differ during the flowering season. On average, 1.95 mg of pollen per flower was produced. Among floral visitors, bumblebees were most frequently noted, accounting for 79.7% of the total number of floral visitors to S. carniolica flowers. The species can be used in early spring ornamental arrangements to support the food supply for insects, mainly bumblebees.
Macrophotographs of Scopolia carniolica: (a) plants in the experimental population, (b) flower bud, (c) mature flower, (d) longitudinal section through flower bud, anther not dehisced, (e) longitudinal section through 2-day flower, beginning of pollen release, (f) longitudinal section through 3-day flower, all anthers releasing pollen, (g) longitudinal section of the ovary with the nectary at the base (arrow)
Macrophotographs of Scopolia carniolica: (a) plants in the experimental population, (b) flower bud, (c) mature flower, (d) longitudinal section through flower bud, anther not dehisced, (e) longitudinal section through 2-day flower, beginning of pollen release, (f) longitudinal section through 3-day flower, all anthers releasing pollen, (g) longitudinal section of the ovary with the nectary at the base (arrow)
… 
Micromorphology of flower corolla: (a-c, e, h, i-k) BFM; (l) FM; (d, f, g) SEM; (a) papillae on the epidermal surface, (b-d) glandular trichomes (e-g) non-glandular trichomes (h-k) histochemistry of non-glandular trichomes: (h) lipids after Sudan Red staining (i) tannins after potassium dichromate staining (j) alkaloids after Wagner’s staining (k) neutral and acidic lipids after Nile Blue staining, (l) fluorescence of flavonoids under UV light with aluminium trichloride
Micromorphology of flower corolla: (a-c, e, h, i-k) BFM; (l) FM; (d, f, g) SEM; (a) papillae on the epidermal surface, (b-d) glandular trichomes (e-g) non-glandular trichomes (h-k) histochemistry of non-glandular trichomes: (h) lipids after Sudan Red staining (i) tannins after potassium dichromate staining (j) alkaloids after Wagner’s staining (k) neutral and acidic lipids after Nile Blue staining, (l) fluorescence of flavonoids under UV light with aluminium trichloride
… 
Micromorphology of nectary: (b, c, e) BFM; (d) FM; (a, f-h) SEM; (a) location of nectary tissue (arrow) (b) nectary tissue in young flower (c) nectary tissue of mature flower (d) autofluorescence of epidermal nectary cells (e) starch grains in plastids of young secretory parenchyma cells after PAS staining, (f) nectarostomata before nectar secretion, located below the epidermal cells (g) nectarostomata secreting nectar, located above the epidermal cells (h) fragment of the nectary surface with nectarostomata (arrows)
Micromorphology of nectary: (b, c, e) BFM; (d) FM; (a, f-h) SEM; (a) location of nectary tissue (arrow) (b) nectary tissue in young flower (c) nectary tissue of mature flower (d) autofluorescence of epidermal nectary cells (e) starch grains in plastids of young secretory parenchyma cells after PAS staining, (f) nectarostomata before nectar secretion, located below the epidermal cells (g) nectarostomata secreting nectar, located above the epidermal cells (h) fragment of the nectary surface with nectarostomata (arrows)
… 
Effect of flower age on the mass of nectar, nectar sugar concentration and the mass of sugars in S. carniolica. Values are means calculated across study seasons. Vertical bars show standard deviation. Means with the same letter do not differ significantly between flower age according to Tukey HSD test at α = 0.05
Effect of flower age on the mass of nectar, nectar sugar concentration and the mass of sugars in S. carniolica. Values are means calculated across study seasons. Vertical bars show standard deviation. Means with the same letter do not differ significantly between flower age according to Tukey HSD test at α = 0.05
… 
Insect visitors spectrum in S. carniolica in 2017–2019 in Lublin, SE Poland
Insect visitors spectrum in S. carniolica in 2017–2019 in Lublin, SE Poland
… 
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Arthropod-Plant Interactions (2024) 18:403–416
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-024-10059-4
Introduction
Scopolia carniolica Jacq. is a perennial plant from the fam-
ily Solanaceae (APG system, Ravel system). The species
is distributed throughout south-eastern Europe, and its
range extends to the Caucasian region (Lonati and Sinis-
calco 2009). S. carniolica has also been naturalized in other
countries (e.g., Germany, Denmark) and is cultivated due
to its medicinal properties (Grynkiewicz and Gadzikowska
2008). In Eastern Europe, populations of S. carniolica are
associated with deciduous forests of the Querco-Fagetea
class (Lonati and Siniscalco 2009). In Poland, the occur-
rence of S. carniolica is limited to the eastern part of the
Carpathian Mountains, where the species is present in a
small number of sites (Delimat and Walusiak 2009; Win-
nicki and Zemanek 2014). The species is now under partial
protection in Poland. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species, S. carniolica was listed as Least Concern spe-
cies (Khela 2013). S. carniolica plants have a height of
approx. 40–60 cm and produce single bell-shaped owers
Handling Editor: Michael Lattor.
Marta Dmitruk
marta.dmitruk@up.lublin.pl
Bożena Denisow
bozena.denisow@up.lublin.pl
Karolina Tymoszuk
karolina.tymoszuk@mail.umcs.pl
Jacek Jachuła
jacek.jachula@mail.umcs.pl
1 Present address: Department of Botany, Mycology and
Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-
Sklodowska University, 19 Akademicka St, Lublin
20-033, Poland
2 Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of
Life Sciences in Lublin, 15 Akademicka St, Lublin
20-950, Poland
Abstract
Scopolia carniolica Jacq. is a perennial plant from the family Solanaceae. The study objective was to examine oral traits
that may be important for interactions with oral visitors (i.e., blooming phenology, oral micromorphology, nectary
characteristics, nectar quantity, nectar sugar composition, and pollen production). In S. carniolica, papillae, numerous
non-glandular trichomes, and a few glandular trichomes were present on the inner corolla epidermal surface. Lipids, acidic
lipids, tannins, and alkaloids were present in the non-glandular trichomes and in the corolla cells. The discoid-type nectary
was located at the base of the ovary. Floral nectar was released through nectarostomata. The process of nectar release
started in the bud stage (ca. 5–8 h before corolla opening) and continued to the 4th day of anthesis. The amount of secreted
nectar peaked in 2-day-old owers. The amount of produced nectar, nectar sugar concentration, and sugar mass varied
signicantly across years. On average, the total mass of sugars in the nectar was 0.54 mg/ower. S. carniolica produced
sucrose-dominant nectar with no glucose. The sugar proportions did not dier during the owering season. On average,
1.95 mg of pollen per ower was produced. Among oral visitors, bumblebees were most frequently noted, accounting for
79.7% of the total number of oral visitors to S. carniolica owers. The species can be used in early spring ornamental
arrangements to support the food supply for insects, mainly bumblebees.
Keywords Floral trichomes · Nectary · Floral nectar · Nectar carbohydrates · Pollen · Bombus spp
Received: 24 April 2023 / Accepted: 19 March 2024 / Published online: 22 April 2024
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024
Flower structure and oral reward in Scopolia carniolica (Solanaceae) –
is it a plant that can support the bumblebee food base in early spring?
KarolinaTymoszuk1· MartaDmitruk2· JacekJachuła1· BożenaDenisow2
1 3
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