An elevational gradient in floral traits and pollinator assemblages in the Neotropical species Costus guanaiensis var. Tarmicus in Peru

Different populations of plant species can adapt to their local pollinators and diverge in floral traits accordingly. Floral traits are subject to pollinator-driven natural selection to enhance plant reproductive success. Studies on temperate plant systems have shown pollinator-driven selection results in floral trait variation along elevational gradients, but studies in tropical systems are lacking. We analyzed floral traits and pollinator assemblages in the Neotropical bee-pollinated taxon Costus guanaiensis var. tarmicus across four sites along a steep elevational gradient in Peru. We found variations in floral traits of size, color, and reward, and in the pollinator assemblage along the elevational gradient. We examined our results considering two hypotheses, (1) local adaptation to different bee assemblages, and (2) the early stages of an evolutionary shift to a new pollinator functional group (hummingbirds). We found some evidence consistent with the adaptation of C. guanaiensis v..., See methods in Maguiña-Conde R., Zúñiga-Rivas D., Kay K.M. (2023). An elevational gradient in floral traits and pollinator assemblages in the Neotropical species Costus guanaiensis var. tarmicus in Peru. Ecology and Evolution, 13, e10314. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10314, ,