Exploring the impact of environments on flower color differentiation: A meta-analytical approach

Flower color is one of the most diverse phenotypes in angiosperms, yet the initial processes of its differentiation remain unclear. Flower color is primarily expressed through the accumulation of pigment compounds in the petals, which are also associated with various stress responses. While it is conceivable that the environmental conditions during plant evolution could contribute to the differentiation of flower color, few studies have examined this hypothesis. Therefore, I conducted a meta-analysis using plant flower color information and growth environment data to elucidate the relationship between flower color differentiation and growth environments. Flower color data was extracted using LLM from botanical descriptions, and growth environment data was acquired by aligning GBIF occurrence information with WorldClim and ISRIC databases. Integrating approximately 30,000 flower color data points and 35 million occurrence records revealed trends such as a predominance of red flowers at higher altitudes and white flowers in arid areas. This study is still preliminary, so I would welcome discussions on more suitable analytical methods and models.