---
title: "Water limitation alters sex-specific floral traits and nursery-pollinator interactions in Silene l"
id: "biorxiv-8-climatic-stress-reshapes-sex-specific-multimodal-floral-phenotypes-and"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-8-climatic-stress-reshapes-sex-specific-multimodal-floral-phenotypes-and"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "General"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-10-25T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Water limitation alters sex-specific floral traits and nursery-pollinator interactions in Silene l
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-8-climatic-stress-reshapes-sex-specific-multimodal-floral-phenotypes-and
- **Specialty:** [General](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-10-25T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The study examined how **water limitation** affects a dioecious nursery-pollination system involving **Silene latifolia** (plant) and the moth **Hadena bicruris** (pollinator/seed predator). - Investigators exposed male and female plants from five populations to a water-limited treatment and measured visual floral traits, floral scent, **nectar** chemistry, nectar metabolites, and seed chemistry; they also recorded moth behaviour and larval performance. - Data indicated pronounced reductions in nectar metabolites in male plants under stress, which reduced sexual dimorphism in **nectar** chemistry; overall oviposition by moths declined under water limitation. - The cohort of adult moths lost preference for ovipositing on female flowers when plants were water-limited, while feeding behaviour appeared unchanged according to the abstract. - Water limitation reduced several defence-associated seed metabolites; larvae feeding on seeds from water-limited plants grew faster despite consuming similar seed amounts. - The study team noted contrasting effects: adult oviposition declined but larval performance improved on stressed plants, implying a redistribution of mutualistic and antagonistic costs under climatic stress. - Authors characterized previously unexplored chemical trait spaces linking nectar rewards and larval seed resources as potential mediators of mutualism versus antagonism in this specialized interaction. - The article is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed; the abstract provides methods at a high level but does not report detailed experimental parameters in the text provided here.
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Karin Schrieber 1 Kiel University, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Ecosystem Research, Division Geobotany, Kiel, Germany; * [Find this author on Google Scholar](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/google-scholar?link_type=googlescholar&gs_type=author&author%5B0%5D=Karin%2BSchrieber%2B "Open in new tab") * [Find this author on PubMed](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=Schrieber%20K&link_type=AUTHORSEARCH "Open in new tab") * [Search for this author on this site](https://www.biorxiv.org/search/author1%3AKarin%2BSchrieber%2B) * [ORCID record for Karin Schrieber](http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7181-2741 "Open in new tab") * For correspondence: kschrieber@ecology.uni-kiel.de Reza Esmaeilnia Talemi 1 Kiel University, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Ecosystem Research, Division Geobotany, Kiel, Germany; * [Find this author on Google Scholar](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/google-scholar?link_type=googlescholar&gs_type=author&author%5B0%5D=Reza%2BEsmaeilnia%2BTalemi%2B "Open in new tab") * [Find this author on PubMed](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=Talemi%20RE&link_type=AUTHORSEARCH "Open in new tab") * [Search for this author on this site](https://www.biorxiv.org/search/author1%3AReza%2BEsmaeilnia%2BTalemi%2B) Kaya Zill 1 Kiel University, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Ecosystem Research, Division Geobotany, Kiel, Germany; * [Find this author on Google Scholar](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/google-scholar?link_type=googlescholar&gs_type=author&author%5B0%5D=Kaya%2BZill%2B "Open in new tab") * [Find this author on PubMed](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=Zill%20K&link_type=AUTHORSEARCH "Open in new tab") * [Search for this author on this site](https://www.biorxiv.org/search/author1%3AKaya%2BZill%2B) * [ORCID record for Kaya Zill](http://orcid.org/0009-0000-5185-301X "Open in new tab") Henry Berndt 2 Kiel University, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Zoological Institute, Kiel, Germany; * [Find this author on Google Scholar](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/google-scholar?link_type=googlescholar&gs_type=author&author%5B0%5D=Henry%2BBerndt%2B "Open in new tab") * [Find this author on PubMed](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=Berndt%20H&link_type=AUTHORSEARCH "Open in new tab") * [Search for this author on this site](https://www.biorxiv.org/search/author1%3AHenry%2BBerndt%2B) * [ORCID record for Henry Berndt](http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0735-5539 "Open in new tab") Alexander Weinhold 3 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; * [Find this author on Google Scholar](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/google-scholar?link_type=googlescholar&gs_type=author&author%5B0%5D=Alexander%2BWeinhold%2B "Open in new tab") * [Find this author on PubMed](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=Weinhold%20A&link_type=AUTHORSEARCH "Open in new tab") * [Search for this author on this site](https://www.biorxiv.org/search/author1%3AAlexander%2BWeinhold%2B) * [ORCID record for Alexander Weinhold](http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1418-7788 "Open in new tab") Alexandra Erfmeier 1 Kiel University, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute for Ecosystem Research, Division Geobotany, Kiel, Germany; * [Find this author on Google Scholar](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/google-scholar?link_type=googlescholar&gs_type=author&author%5B0%5D=Alexandra%2BErfmeier%2B "Open in new tab") * [Find this author on PubMed](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=Erfmeier%20A&link_type=AUTHORSEARCH "Open in new tab") * [Search for this author on this site](https://www.biorxiv.org/search/author1%3AAlexandra%2BErfmeier%2B) Thomas Stegemann 4 Kiel University, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Pharmaceutical Institute, Pharmaceutical Biology * [Find this author on Google Scholar](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/google-scholar?link_type=googlescholar&gs_type=author&author%5B0%5D=Thomas%2BStegemann%2B "Open in new tab") * [Find this author on PubMed](https://www.biorxiv.org/lookup/external-ref?access_num=Stegemann%20T&link_type=AUTHORSEARCH "Open in new tab") * [Search for this author on this site](https://www.biorxiv.org/search/author1%3AThomas%2BStegemann%2B) * [ORCID record for Thomas Stegemann](http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0391-3337 "Open in new tab") * [Abstract](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1)[](https://www.biorxiv.org/panels_ajax_tab/biorxiv_tab_art/node:5901319/1) * [Info/History](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1.article-info)[](https://www.biorxiv.org/panels_ajax_tab/biorxiv_tab_info/node:5901319/1) * [Metrics](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1.article-metrics)[](https://www.biorxiv.org/panels_ajax_tab/article_tab_metrics/node:5901319/1) * [Supplementary material](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1.supplementary-material)[](https://www.biorxiv.org/panels_ajax_tab/biorxiv_tab_data/node:5901319/1) * [ Preview PDF](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1.full.pdf+html)[](https://www.biorxiv.org/panels_ajax_tab/biorxiv_tab_pdf/node:5901319/1) ![Loading](https://www.biorxiv.org/sites/all/modules/contrib/panels_ajax_tab/images/loading.gif) ## Abstract Background: Nursery pollination combines mutualistic and antagonistic interactions between plants and insects: adult insects provide pollination services, while their larvae consume plant reproductive tissues. Climatic stress may alter the benefits and costs for both partners by modifying plant phenotypes and their consequences for pollinator behaviour and offspring performance. These dynamics gain an additional layer of complexity in systems where both plants and insects have separate sexes, giving rise to sex-specific interactions and potentially divergent stress responses. Yet how climatic stress affects these specialized interactions remains unexplored. Methods: We addressed this gap in a nursery pollination system comprising the dioecious plant Silene latifolia and the moth Hadena bicruris. We exposed female and male plants from five populations to water limitation, assessing visual floral traits, scent, nectar chemistry and moth behaviour alongside seed production, seed chemistry, larval consumption and performance. Results: We identified previously unexplored chemical trait spaces potentially mediating mutualistic and antagonistic components of the interaction, encompassing nectar rewards and larval seed resources. Water limitation altered floral and seed phenotypes, with pronounced reductions in nectar metabolites in male plants eroding sexual dimorphism in nectar chemistry. This was accompanied by a loss of moth preference for ovipositing on female flowers, while oviposition declined overall under water limitation and feeding behaviour remained unaffected. Meanwhile, water limitation reduced several defence-associated seed metabolites, and larvae grew faster on seeds from water-limited plants despite consuming similar amounts of seeds. Synthesis: Against the broader backdrop of specialist species loss and shifts towards more generalized interaction networks under global change, our study provides the first comprehensive assessment of climatic stress effects on a nursery pollination system. By revealing opposing effects on adult oviposition and offspring performance, our findings highlight how climatic stress may redistribute benefits and costs within specialized species interactions through changes in multidimensional plant phenotypes and interconnected mutualistic and antagonistic processes. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ## Funder Information Declared DFG, Overheads SCHR 1578/4-1 DFG, Overheads SCHR 1578/5-1 DAAD, Bridge Fellowship Iran Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a [CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). bioRxiv and medRxiv thank the following for their generous financial support: > The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, California Institute of Technology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Imperial College London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, The University of Edinburgh, University of Washington, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 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[ Download PDF](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1.full.pdf) Print/Save Options [Download PDF](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2026/10/25/2026.10.22.760926.full.pdf)Full Text & In-line FiguresXML [More Info](https://www.biorxiv.org/about/FAQ#PrintOptions "More Information on Print/Save Options") [Supplementary Material ](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926v1.supplementary-material) [ Email](https://www.biorxiv.org/ "Email this Article") [ Share](https://www.biorxiv.org/) Climatic stress reshapes sex-specific multimodal floral phenotypes and interactions with a nursery pollinator across life stages Karin Schrieber, Reza Esmaeilnia Talemi, Kaya Zill, Henry Berndt, Alexander Weinhold, Alexandra Erfmeier, Thomas Stegemann bioRxiv 2026.10.22.760926; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.22.760926 This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [[what does this mean?](https://www.biorxiv.org/about/FAQ#unrefereed)]. 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