# Flower colour polymorphism in Anemone coronaria correlates with the activity pattern and colour preferences of its visitors

## TL;DR

This study shows that flower color diversity in Anemone coronaria is linked to pollinator preferences that change with location and season.

## Contribution

The study experimentally links pollinator color preferences to flower color polymorphism across space and time.

## Key findings

- Bees preferred purple flowers in northern and central regions during early season.
- Red flowers received more late-season visits in southern regions, aligning with beetle preferences.
- Pollinator shifts support the maintenance of flower color polymorphism in Anemone coronaria.

## Abstract

Shifts in pollinator composition and associated colour preferences can support flower colour polymorphism (FCP) across environmental gradients and along flowering seasons. We explored the geographical and seasonal turnover of insect visitors in Anemone coronaria, a geophyte that flowers mainly in red, purple, and white. In Israel, southern populations have red flowers whereas some northern populations are colour polymorphic. Southern populations bloom later than northern ones, and red flowers appear later than non-red flowers. We predicted corresponding changes in colour preferences of A. coronaria’s pollinators, from non-red in northern sites and early in the season to red in southern sites and in late season. We created experimental arrays of red, purple, and white A. coronaria flowers in three field sites (northern, central, and southern regions of the species’ distribution) and three time-points (early, mid, and late season) over 2 years. We recorded flower colour choices of insect visitors. Insect colour preferences varied among locations and time points. Bees and flies visited the flower arrays primarily during early season in the northern and central sites, where bees preferred purple flowers. Beetles visited the flowers mostly during late season in the southern site and preferred red flowers there. As predicted, A. coronaria’s purple flowers received more early-season visits in the north, and red flowers received more late-season visits in the south. These spatio-temporal trends are consistent with the species’ FCP pattern. A. coronaria’s broad pollinator fauna may enhance reproductive success across the plant’s wide geographical distribution and long flowering season.

Flower colour polymorphism is widespread, yet its ecological drivers are rarely tested across both space and time. Using experimental flower arrays of Anemone coronaria, the poppy anemone, we show that pollinator communities and their colour preferences shift predictably along a latitudinal gradient and through the flowering season. These spatiotemporal changes align with the distribution of red, purple and white flower morphs, supporting a role for pollinators in maintaining colour diversity.