From canopy to single flowers: a downscale approach to flowering of the invasive species Acacia longifolia

Abstract

Context: Acacia longifolia is a native legume of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania and is invasive in many parts of the world. A key feature to its success is the production of a high quantity of flowers every season, resulting in a massive seedbank that remains dormant in the soil for decades. Many studies have been performed on this species’ reproductive biology, but none has focused on flowering in detail.

Aims: Our main objective was to understand this species’ resource allocation strategy that ensures its successful reproduction in the invasive range.

Methods: We developed an integrative approach, assessing flowering at different levels, namely, canopy and branch flowering (macro scale), downscaling to individual flower functional stages and their duration, pollen longevity and stigma receptivity (micro scale). We performed this study in three different locations in sand dunes along the Portuguese coast with different environmental conditions.

Key results: Canopy flowering shows no difference among sites. Pollen and stigma assessment showed that this species is protogynous, with the stigma being highly receptive long before pollen is released. Once released, pollen lasts roughly 72 h. Individual flowers are relatively short-lived, with a rapid progression from closed flower buds to fully open flowers.

Implications: Our results indicated that A. longifolia has a resource trade-off strategy of investing in flowers and pollen that are relatively short-lived, which are counterbalanced by their massive quantities.