Does the abiotic environment influence the distribution of flower and
fruit colors?
Abstract
Color in flowers and fruits carries multiple functions, from attracting
animal partners (pollinators, dispersers) to mitigating abiotic
environmental stress (cold, drought UV-B) through changes in pigment
production. However, with research primarily focusing on biotic
interactions as selective agents, it remains unclear whether flower and
fruit colors underlie the same abiotic stressors and vary jointly across
large spatial scales. In light of climate change and biodiversity loss,
it is high time to evaluate global color-environment associations.
Leveraging a dataset of 2815 animal-pollinated and animal-dispersed
species from 51 plant clades, we here show that the distribution and
diversity of flower and fruit colors is globally decoupled and shaped by
different factors. Fruit color diversity is generally higher and peaks
in tropical areas where the diversity of animal mutualists is highest.
Flower color diversity, in contrast, peaks in areas of high abiotic
environmental stress, with distinct flower colors associating with
distinct abiotic factors.