Pollen as the link between floral phenotype and fitness Opedal, Øystein H. Pérez Barrales, María del Rocío Fitness function, flower Pollinator fit, heterospecific pollen transfer Path analysis Plant-pollinator interactions Pollen performance Pollen presentation Pollen production Pollen transfer Pollinatormediated selection Pollen plays a key role in plant reproductive biology. Despite the long history of research on pollen and pollination, recent advances in pollen‐tracking methods and statistical approaches to linking plant phenotype, pollination performance, and reproductive fitness yield a steady flow of exciting new insights. In this introduction to the Special Issue “Pollen as the Link Between Phenotype and Fitness,” we start by describing a general conceptual model linking functional classes of floral phenotypic traits to pollinationrelated performance metrics and reproductive fitness. We use this model as a framework for synthesizing the relevant literature, highlighting the studies included in the Special Issue, and identifying gaps in our understanding and opportunities for further development of the field. The papers that follow in this Special Issue provide new insights into the relationships between pollen production, presentation, flower morphology, and pollination performance (e.g., pollen deposition onto stigmas), the role of pollinators in pollen transfer, and the consequences of heterospecific pollen deposition. Several of the studies demonstrate exciting experimental and analytical approaches that should pave the way for continued work addressing the intriguing role of pollen in linking plant phenotypes to reproductive fitness. 2023-07-26T07:48:11Z 2023-07-26T07:48:11Z 2023-06 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Dellinger, A. S., Hanusch, D., Oswald, M., Fernández‐Fernández, D., & Schönenberger, J. (2023). Using geometric morphometrics to determine the “fittest” floral shape: a case study in large‐flowered, buzz‐pollinated Meriania hernandoi. American Journal of Botany, e16183.DOI10.1002/ajb2.16200] https://hdl.handle.net/10481/83999 10.1002/ajb2.16200 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Atribución 4.0 Internacional Wyley