Nicotiana, section Alatae is a monophyletic group which contains seven species with at least three pollination syndromes. The pollinators that visit these plants have been documented. Hawkmoths are the primary pollinators of the long-tubed, white flowers, small perching moths are the primary pollinators of the short-tubed, white flowers, and hummingbirds are the primary pollinators of the short-tubed, colored flowers. Nectar is the primary floral reward supplied by plants to attract pollinators. Previous research has found correlations between pollinator type and nectar characteristics. My poster presents preliminary data on nectar volume and sugar concentration at different flower ages for all seven species. These data are correlated to the different pollination syndromes exhibited by these Nicotiana. Preliminary results show that hummingbird-pollinated flowers have a lower nectar volume with higher sugar concentration than the hawkmoth-pollinated flowers. The small moth-pollinated flowers have only trace amounts of nectar, which leads us to believe that there may be other rewards associated with these flowers. These results are currently being validated. Analysis of sugar constituents, amino acid constituents and amino acid concentration is ongoing.

Key words: nectar, Nicotiana, pollinators