Data from "The role of transpiration in floral humidity generation"

ABSTRACT Floral humidity, an area of elevated humidity in the headspace of flowers, has been detected across angiosperms and may function as a pollinator cue for insect pollinators. It is believed floral humidity is produced predominantly through a combination of evaporation of both liquid nectar and transpirational water loss from the flower. However, the role of transpiration in floral humidity generation has not been tested and is largely inferred by continued humidity production when nectar is removed from flowers. Understanding the extent that transpiration contributes to floral humidity has important implications for understanding the function of floral humidity. We test whether transpiration contributes to the floral humidity generation of two species previously identified to produce elevated floral humidity, Calystegia silvatica and Eschscholzia californica. Floral humidity production of flowers that underwent an antitranspirant treatment – petrolatum gel which blocks transpiration from treated tissues – is compared to flowers that did not receive such treatments. Gel treatments reduced floral humidity production to approximately a third of that produced by untreated flowers in C. silvatica, and half of that in E. californica. This confirms, the previously untested, inferences that transpiration has a large contribution to floral humidity generation and that this contribution may vary between species.Guide to useThe raw data and code for analyses and figures from "The role of transpiration in floral humidity generation" are contained here. Full detail on methods of data collection and analysis are available in that publication.Within this file are two .zip datafiles. File "Temperature datafiles and IR images 050421.zip" contains sample IR images, sample temperature data and code for the analysis of this temperature data. Within this document is a word .doc file that provides a key for the files within. File "humidity datafiles 260421.zip" contains the sample humidity data, code for analysis of sample humidity as well as the code for generation of figures. Within this document is a word .doc file that provides a key for the files within.