-
American Journal of Botany Sep 2021Pollinators are thought to exert selective pressures on plants, mediating the evolution of convergent floral shape often recognized as pollination syndromes. However,...
PREMISE
Pollinators are thought to exert selective pressures on plants, mediating the evolution of convergent floral shape often recognized as pollination syndromes. However, little is known about the accuracy of using petal shape for inferring convergence in pollination mode without a priori pollination information. Here we studied the genus Erythrina L. as a test case to assess whether ornithophyllous pollination modes (hummingbirds, passerines, sunbirds, or mixed pollination) can be inferred based on the evolutionary analysis of petal shape.
METHODS
We characterized the two-dimensional dissected shape of standard, keel, and wing petals from 106 Erythrina species using geometric morphometrics and reconstructed a phylogenetic tree of 83 Erythrina species based on plastid trnL-F and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences. We then used two phylogenetic comparative methods based on Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models, SURFACE and l1OU, to infer distinct morphological groups using petal shape and identify instances of convergent evolution. The effectiveness of these methods was evaluated by comparing the groups inferred to known pollinators.
RESULTS
We found significant petal shape differences between hummingbird- and passerine-pollinated Erythrina species. Our analyses also revealed that petal combinations generally provided better inferences of pollinator types than individual petals and that the method and optimization criterion can affect the results.
CONCLUSIONS
We show that model-based approaches using petal shape can detect convergent evolution of floral shape and relatively accurately infer pollination modes in Erythrina. The inference power of the keel petals argues for a deeper investigation of their role in the pollination biology of Erythrina and other bird-pollinated legumes.
Topics: Animals; Erythrina; Flowers; Passeriformes; Phylogeny; Pollination
PubMed: 34590308
DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1735 -
American Journal of Botany Apr 2022Pollinator declines can reduce the quantity and quality of pollination services, resulting in less pollen deposited on flowers and lower seed production by plants. In...
PREMISE
Pollinator declines can reduce the quantity and quality of pollination services, resulting in less pollen deposited on flowers and lower seed production by plants. In response to these reductions, plant species that cannot autonomously self-pollinate and thus are dependent on pollinators to set seed could plastically adjust their floral traits. Such plasticity could increase the opportunity for outcross pollination directly, as well as indirectly by affecting inflorescence traits.
METHODS
To test whether plants can respond to pollinator declines by plastically adjusting their floral traits, we simulated declines by experimentally reducing pollinator access to Lobelia siphilitica plants and measuring two traits of early- and late-season flowers: (1) floral longevity; and (2) sex-phase duration. To test whether plasticity in these floral traits affected inflorescence traits, we measured daily display size and phenotypic gender.
RESULTS
We found that experimentally reducing pollination did not affect female-phase duration, but did extend the male-phase duration of early-season flowers by 13% and the longevity of late-season flowers by 12.8%. However, plants with an extended male phase did not have a more male-biased phenotypic gender, and plants with an extended floral longevity did not have a larger daily display.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that plants can respond to pollinator declines by plastically adjusting both the longevity and sex-phase duration of their flowers. If this plasticity increases the opportunity for outcross pollination, then it could be one mechanism by which pollinator-dependent plant species maintain seed production as pollinators decline.
Topics: Flowers; Inflorescence; Lobelia; Plants; Pollen; Pollination
PubMed: 35253215
DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1837 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jun 2022Bee and non-bee insect pollinators play an integral role in the quantity and quality of production for many food crops, yet there is growing evidence that nutritional... (Review)
Review
Bee and non-bee insect pollinators play an integral role in the quantity and quality of production for many food crops, yet there is growing evidence that nutritional challenges to pollinators in agricultural landscapes are an important factor in the reduction of pollinator populations worldwide. Schemes to enhance crop pollinator health have historically focused on floral resource plantings aimed at increasing pollinator abundance and diversity by providing more foraging opportunities for bees. These efforts have demonstrated that improvements in bee diversity and abundance are achievable; however, goals of increasing crop pollination outcomes via these interventions are not consistently met. To support pollinator health and crop pollination outcomes in tandem, habitat enhancements must be tailored to meet the life-history needs of specific crop pollinators, including non-bees. This will require greater understanding of the nutritional demands of these taxa together with the supply of floral and non-floral food resources and how these interact in cropping environments. Understanding the mechanisms underlying crop pollination and pollinator health in unison across a range of taxa is clearly a win-win for industry and conservation, yet achievement of these goals will require new knowledge and novel, targeted methods. This article is part of the theme issue 'Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes'.
Topics: Agriculture; Animals; Bees; Crop Production; Crops, Agricultural; Ecosystem; Pollination
PubMed: 35491607
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0170 -
American Journal of Botany Jun 2013The most recent reviews of the reproductive biology and sexual systems of parasitic angiosperms were published 17 yr ago and reported that dioecy might be associated...
PREMISE OF THE STUDY
The most recent reviews of the reproductive biology and sexual systems of parasitic angiosperms were published 17 yr ago and reported that dioecy might be associated with parasitism. We use current knowledge on parasitic lineages and their sister groups, and data on the reproductive biology and sexual systems of Apodanthaceae, to readdress the question of possible trends in the reproductive biology of parasitic angiosperms. •
METHODS
Fieldwork in Zimbabwe and Iran produced data on the pollinators and sexual morph frequencies in two species of Apodanthaceae. Data on pollinators, dispersers, and sexual systems in parasites and their sister groups were compiled from the literature. •
KEY RESULTS
With the possible exception of some Viscaceae, most of the ca. 4500 parasitic angiosperms are animal-pollinated, and ca. 10% of parasites are dioecious, but the gain and loss of dioecy across angiosperms is too poorly known to infer a statistical correlation. The studied Apodanthaceae are dioecious and pollinated by nectar- or pollen-foraging Calliphoridae and other flies. •
CONCLUSIONS
Sister group comparisons so far do not reveal any reproductive traits that evolved (or were lost) concomitant with a parasitic life style, but the lack of wind pollination suggests that this pollen vector may be maladaptive in parasites, perhaps because of host foliage or flowers borne close to the ground.
Topics: Animals; Flowers; Insecta; Magnoliopsida; Phylogeny; Pollination
PubMed: 23703856
DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1200627 -
Annals of Botany May 2021The transition from outcrossing to selfing is a frequent evolutionary shift in flowering plants and is predicted to result in reduced allocation to pollinator attraction...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The transition from outcrossing to selfing is a frequent evolutionary shift in flowering plants and is predicted to result in reduced allocation to pollinator attraction if plants can self-pollinate autonomously. The evolution of selfing is associated with reduced visual floral signalling in many systems, but effects on floral scent have received less attention. We compared multiple populations of the arctic-alpine herb Arabis alpina (Brassicaceae), and asked whether the transition from self-incompatibility to self-compatibility has been associated with reduced visual and chemical floral signalling. We further examined whether floral signalling differ between self-compatible populations with low and high capacity for autonomous self-pollination, as would be expected if benefits of signalling decrease with reduced dependence on pollinators for pollen transfer.
METHODS
In a common garden we documented flower size and floral scent emission rate and composition in eight self-compatible and nine self-incompatible A. alpina populations. These included self-compatible Scandinavian populations with high capacity for autonomous self-pollination, self-compatible populations with low capacity for autonomous self-pollination from France and Spain, and self-incompatible populations from Italy and Greece.
KEY RESULTS
The self-compatible populations produced smaller and less scented flowers than the self-incompatible populations. However, flower size and scent emission rate did not differ between self-compatible populations with high and low capacity for autonomous self-pollination. Floral scent composition differed between self-compatible and self-incompatible populations, but also varied substantially among populations within the two categories.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrates extensive variation in floral scent among populations of a geographically widespread species. Contrary to expectation, floral signalling did not differ between self-compatible populations with high and low capacity for autonomous self-pollination, indicating that dependence on pollinator attraction can only partly explain variation in floral signalling. Additional variation may reflect adaptation to other aspects of local environments, genetic drift, or a combination of these processes.
Topics: Arabis; Flowers; France; Greece; Italy; Odorants; Pollination; Reproduction; Spain
PubMed: 33555338
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab007 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2021Pollinators can detect the color, shape, scent, and even temperature of the flowers they want to visit. Here, we present the previously unappreciated capacity of...
Pollinators can detect the color, shape, scent, and even temperature of the flowers they want to visit. Here, we present the previously unappreciated capacity of hoverflies (Eristalis tenax and Cheilosia albipila) to detect the electric field surrounding flowers. Using hoverflies as key dipteran pollinators, we explored the electrical interactions between flies and flowers-how a hoverfly acquired a charge and how their electrical sensing ability for target flowers contributed to nectar identification and pollination. This study revealed that rapid variations in a floral electric field were related to a nectar reward and increased the likelihood of the fly's return visits. We found that thoracic hairs played a role in the polarity of hoverfly charge, revealing their electro-mechanosensory capability, as in bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). Electrophysiological analysis of the hoverfly's antennae did not reveal neural sensitivity to the electric field, which favors the mechanosensory hairs as putative electroreceptive organs in both species of hoverflies.
Topics: Animals; Diptera; Electricity; Flowers; Pollination
PubMed: 34548579
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98371-4 -
Trends in Plant Science May 2017Pollinator behaviour has profound effects on plant mating. Pollinators are predicted to minimise energetic costs during foraging bouts by moving between nearby flowers.... (Review)
Review
Pollinator behaviour has profound effects on plant mating. Pollinators are predicted to minimise energetic costs during foraging bouts by moving between nearby flowers. However, a review of plant mating system studies reveals a mismatch between behavioural predictions and pollen-mediated gene dispersal in bird-pollinated plants. Paternal diversity of these plants is twice that of plants pollinated solely by insects. Comparison with the behaviour of other pollinator groups suggests that birds promote pollen dispersal through a combination of high mobility, limited grooming, and intra- and interspecies aggression. Future opportunities to test these predictions include seed paternity assignment following pollinator exclusion experiments, single pollen grain genotyping, new tracking technologies for small pollinators, and motion-triggered cameras and ethological experimentation for quantifying pollinator behaviour.
Topics: Animals; Birds; Pollen; Pollination; Reproduction
PubMed: 28412035
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.03.005 -
American Journal of Botany Jun 2023Animal-pollinated plants face a high risk of pollen loss during its transfer. To limit the negative effect of pollen losses by pollen consumption and heterospecific...
PREMISE
Animal-pollinated plants face a high risk of pollen loss during its transfer. To limit the negative effect of pollen losses by pollen consumption and heterospecific transfer, plant species may adjust and stratify their pollen availability during the day (i.e., "schedule" their pollen presentation) and attract pollinators in specific time frames.
METHODS
We investigated diurnal patterns of pollen availability and pollinator visitation in three coflowering plant species: Succisa pratensis with open flowers and accessible pollen, pollinated mainly by pollen-feeding hoverflies; Centaurea jacea with open flowers and less accessible pollen, pollinated mainly by pollen-collecting bees; and Trifolium hybridum with closed flowers and pollen accessible only after the active opening of the flower, pollinated exclusively by bees.
RESULTS
The three plant species differed in the peak pollen availability, tracked by the visitation activity of their pollinators. Succisa pratensis released all pollen in the morning, while pollinator activity was still low and peaked with a slight delay. In contrast, C. jacea and T. hybridum had distinct pollen presentation schedules, peaking in the early afternoon. The pollinator visitation to both of these species closely matched their pollen availability.
CONCLUSIONS
Stratifying pollen availability to pollinators during the day may be one of several mechanisms that allow coflowering plants to share their pollinators and decrease the probability of heterospecific pollen transfer.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Pollination; Pollen; Plants; Flowers; Centaurea
PubMed: 37200483
DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16179 -
Brazilian Journal of Biology = Revista... Nov 2007The pollination biology and breeding system of Couepia uiti was studied. In this species, flowers opened at 06:00 AM anthesis, and nectar production began at around 0800...
The pollination biology and breeding system of Couepia uiti was studied. In this species, flowers opened at 06:00 AM anthesis, and nectar production began at around 0800 h, reached a maximum volume from 09:30 AM to 10:30 AM, and decreased thereafter. The nectar sugar concentration increased continuously, but showed an abrupt increase from 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Pollen release occurred at about 09:30 AM and was quickly collected. The stigmas became receptive at around 12:00 AM. The pollinators of C. uiti included the bees Apis mellifera, Xylocopa sp. and Bombus sp., and three species of wasps. This conclusion was based on the observation that these hymenopterans had C. uiti pollen on their bodies, visited the receptive flowers, and touched the anthers and stigmas, thereby promoting pollination. Of these floral visitors, A. mellifera was considered to be the most efficient pollinator. However, mixed pollination also occurred. The number of C. uiti flowers visited in the morning (n = 52) was three times smaller than in the afternoon (n = 62), and the species richness of floral visitors was also bigger in the afternoon (eight in the afternoon versus five in the morning). This finding indicated that these floral visitors preferred to exploit nectar rather than pollen. Controlled pollination experiments showed that C. uiti was a self-incompatible species that produced fruits only by cross-pollination. Treatments such as agamospermy and spontaneous and self-pollinations did not produce fruits.
Topics: Animals; Bees; Brazil; Breeding; Chrysobalanaceae; Pollination; Wasps
PubMed: 18278325
DOI: 10.1590/s1519-69842007000400018 -
BMC Plant Biology Nov 2022Grazing disturbance usually affects floral display and pollination efficiency in the desert steppe, which may cause pollen limitation in insect-pollinated plants....
BACKGROUND
Grazing disturbance usually affects floral display and pollination efficiency in the desert steppe, which may cause pollen limitation in insect-pollinated plants. Effective pollination is essential for the reproductive success of insect-pollinated plants and insufficient pollen transfer may result in pollen limitation. Caragana microphylla Lam is an arid region shrub with ecological importance. Few studies have been conducted on how grazing disturbance influences pollen limitation and pollination efficiency of C. microphylla. Here, we quantify the effect of different grazing intensities on floral display, pollinator visitation frequency and seed production in the Urat desert steppe.
RESULTS
In C. microphylla, supplemental hand pollination increased the seed set, and pollen limitation was the predominant limiting factor. As the heavy grazing significantly reduced the seed set in plants that underwent open-pollination, but there was no significant difference in the seed set between plants in the control plots and plants in the moderate grazing plots. Furthermore, there was a higher pollinator visitation frequency in plants in the control plots than in plants in the heavy grazing plots.
CONCLUSIONS
We found that pollinator visitation frequency was significantly associated with the number of open flowers. Our findings also demonstrated that seed production is associated with pollinator visitation frequency, as indicated by increased seed production in flowers with higher pollinator visitation frequency. Therefore, this study provides insight into the effect of different grazing intensities on floral display that are important for influencing pollinator visitation frequency and pollination efficiency in desert steppes.
Topics: Animals; Flowers; Insecta; Plants; Pollen; Pollination; Desert Climate; Herbivory
PubMed: 36329386
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03899-w