Deceptive Ceropegia sandersonii uses an arabinogalactan for trapping its fly pollinators

Abstract

Many plant species have evolved surfaces that reduce insect attachment. Among such plants are deceptive trap flowers of Ceropegia. Their gliding zones consist of convex epidermal cells, each with a bristle-like central protuberance and a single small liquid droplet on its tip. So far, the molecular and physical mechanisms controlling the function of these droplets are unknown.

We analyzed the droplets of Ceropegia sandersonii flowers by microscopic approaches, studied how they behave when getting in contact with the feet of fly pollinators, and analyzed their chemical composition.

The droplets contaminate the insect feet, on which they solidify. As its main component, a negatively charged polysaccharide containing a β1,3-galactan backbone and Rha-α1,4-GlcA-β1,6-[Araf-α1,3-]Gal-β1,6 side chains or truncated versions of it was identified. The chemical structure represents a rudimentary version of an arabinogalactan, which is supported by its binding to β-d-glucosyl Yariv reagent. Candidates of arabinogalactan proteins were identified to which the polysaccharide might be connected.

The high amount of GlcA in the polysaccharide helps to explain the unusual physical characteristics of the droplets, like viscoelasticity and hygroscopy. We add a new function to arabinogalactans and discuss why the identified polymer is well suited for catching and temporarily trapping pollinators.