No evidence for extrafloral nectaries in Erythranthe angulosa
- 1Michigan State University
Abstract
Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) are a widespread plant defense mutualism trait and are highly convergent, appearing in hundreds of plant lineages worldwide. Here we investigate a report of possible EFNs in Erythranthe angulosa, a recently-described California wildflower. We integrate field observations, insect bioassays, an induction experiment, and microscopy to test for signatures of EFN function, finding no evidence that the distinctive axillary swellings produced by E. angulosa function as EFNs. We also uncovered two distinct morphs at the type locality of E. angulosa that diverge in the number of axillary swellings produced, as well as other shoot architecture traits such as stem thickness, leaf size, and branch number. Although the axillary swellings appear to not function as EFNs, they remain a compelling morphological variant within the yellow monkeyflowers that may perform storage or another unknown function.
Related
- RNA Activation in Plants: Current Evidence and Molecular Insights
- Vagus nerve stimulation for trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias: Evidence, challenges and future directions
- An Evidence-Tiered Developmental Framework for Congenital Vertebral Malformations: Spatiotemporal Thresholds in Genotype–Phenotype Interpretation
- miRAssist: a context-aware, evidence integration framework for interpretable miRNA-target prioritization
- RNA evidence supports clinical stage antibody drug targets in oncology
BibTeX
@misc{martineberhardt2026evidence,
title = {{No evidence for extrafloral nectaries in Erythranthe angulosa}},
author = {S. Martin-Eberhardt and P. Smith and M. L. Plunkert},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.28.747905},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747905v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - No evidence for extrafloral nectaries in Erythranthe angulosa
AU - S. Martin-Eberhardt
AU - P. Smith
AU - M. L. Plunkert
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.28.747905
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.28.747905v1
AB - Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) are a widespread plant defense mutualism trait and are highly convergent, appearing in hundreds of plant lineages worldwide. Here we investigate a report of possible EFNs in Erythranthe angulosa, a recently-described California wildflower. We integrate field observations, insect bioassays, an induction experiment, and microscopy to test for signatures of EFN function, finding no evidence that the distinctive axillary swellings produced by E. angulosa function as EFNs. We also uncovered two distinct morphs at the type locality of E. angulosa that diverge in the number of axillary swellings produced, as well as other shoot architecture traits such as stem thickness, leaf size, and branch number. Although the axillary swellings appear to not function as EFNs, they remain a compelling morphological variant within the yellow monkeyflowers that may perform storage or another unknown function.
ER -