The relationships between floral traits and specificity of pollination systems in three Scandinavian plant communities

Oecologia ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 157 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amparo Lázaro ◽  
Stein Joar Hegland ◽  
Ørjan Totland
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Pollination Systems

Plant reproduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 218-263
Author(s):  
John D. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Reproductive Traits ◽  
Population History ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Summer Drought ◽  
Mosaic Landscape ◽  
Floral Phenology ◽  
Colonization Dynamics ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Generalist Pollination

Population history and colonization dynamics in the Mediterranean mosaic landscape have closely interacted with natural selection to shape patterns of variation in mating systems and the evolution of floral traits and polymorphisms. Floral phenology is closely adapted to avoid the summer drought regime in many plant communities. Many plant species have generalist pollination systems with a complex of tight and loose interactions that affect the evolution of reproductive traits. Floral traits have clearly accompanied diversification in many groups of plants. The evolution of interactions of plants with their pollinators at the landscape and biogeographic scales illustrates intriguing examples of ongoing evolution.

Are diel patterns of nectar production and anthesis associated with other floral traits in plants visited by potential bird and mammal pollinators?

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Saffer
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Pollination Syndromes ◽  
Nectar Production ◽  
Diel Patterns ◽  
Pollen Presentation ◽  
Pollination Systems

Plants pollinated predominantly by vertebrates are thought to have suites of floral traits (e.g.�colour, conspicuousness, odour) that favour either birds or mammals, with brightly coloured, conspicuous flowers associated with birds and drab, concealed flowers with non-flying mammals. This study examined two other floral traits, diel patterns of nectar production and pollen presentation (anthesis). It would be expected that these would be nocturnal in putatively mammal-pollinated plants and diurnal in bird-pollinated plants. In four Banksia and two Dryandra species, all known to be visited by honeyeater birds and small marsupials at one site in south-western Australia, there was no clear correspondence between visual cues and diel patterns of resource presentation. This lack of correlation between floral traits does not support the idea of specialised pollination syndromes, but rather is consistent with generalised pollination systems.

scholarly journals The role of pollinator diversity in the evolution of corolla-shape integration in a pollination-generalist plant clade

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1649) ◽  
pp. 20130257 ◽  
Author(s):  
José María Gómez ◽  
Francisco Perfectti ◽  
Christian Peter Klingenberg
Keyword(s):  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Phylogenetic Comparative Methods ◽  
Pollinator Diversity ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Integrated Structures ◽  
Study Species

Flowers of animal-pollinated plants are integrated structures shaped by the action of pollinator-mediated selection. It is widely assumed that pollination specialization increases the magnitude of floral integration. However, empirical evidence is still inconclusive. In this study, we explored the role of pollinator diversity in shaping the evolution of corolla-shape integration in Erysimum , a plant genus with generalized pollination systems. We quantified floral integration in Erysimum using geometric morphometrics and explored its evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods. Corolla-shape integration was low but significantly different from zero in all study species. Spatial autocorrelation and phylogenetic signal in corolla-shape integration were not detected. In addition, integration in Erysimum seems to have evolved in a way that is consistent with Brownian motion, but with frequent convergent evolution. Corolla-shape integration was negatively associated with the number of pollinators visiting the flowers of each Erysimum species. That is, it was lower in those species having a more generalized pollination system. This negative association may occur because the co-occurrence of many pollinators imposes conflicting selection and cancels out any consistent selection on specific floral traits, preventing the evolution of highly integrated flowers.

scholarly journals High selfing capability and low pollinator visitation in the epiphyte Pitcairnia heterophylla (Bromeliaceae) at a Costa Rican cloud forest

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis D. Ríos ◽  
Alfredo Cascante-Marín
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Nectar Production ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Visitation Rate ◽  
Pollinator Visitation Rate ◽  
Hand Pollination ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Epiphytic Bromeliads

AbstractMost epiphytic bromeliads exhibit specialized pollination systems likely to promote out-crossing but, at the same time, possess floral traits that promote autonomous selfing. Adaptations that promote selfing in flowering plants with specialized pollination systems have been considered as a mechanism for reproductive assurance. In this paper, we analyzed the breeding system and pollinator visitation rate of the hummingbird-pollinated bromeliad Pitcairnia heterophylla in order to see if they fit such trend. We performed hand pollination experiments, video recording of floral visitors, and recorded floral traits in order to describe the reproductive and pollination system of the studied species in a cloud forest in Costa Rica. Results from the pollination treatments indicated that P. heterophylla is self-compatible (SCIf = 0.77), capable of autonomous pollination (AFIf = 0.78), and non-agamospermous (AGf = 0.01). Floral traits, such as scentless red flowers, with tubular corolla and nectar production, suggested ornithophily which was confirmed by the video recording of Lampornis calolaemus (Trochilidae) visiting flowers. However, the visitation rate was low (0.6 visits day-1 per plant) based on 918 hours of video recording using trail cameras. We suggest that the high selfing capability of the studied population of P. heterophylla might be related to the low pollinator visitation rate. If low pollinator visitation is common among hummingbird-pollinated and epiphytic bromeliads, then selfing could be a widespread mechanism to enhance their reproductive success.

Disentangling the ecological basis of floral trait variation in Neotropical Piper species

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Valentin-Silva ◽  
Marco Antonio Batalha ◽  
Elza Guimarães
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Reproduction ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Floral Diversification ◽  
Pollen Vectors ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Pollination Systems

Abstract In generalist pollination systems, it has been assumed that pollinators play a minor role in the diversification of floral traits, but recent studies have pointed to a different scenario. Although pollination in Piper is considered generalist, there are flower and inflorescence variations among subclades that may be associated with different pollinator functional groups. Based on this, we aimed to test whether pollinators influenced the evolution of floral traits in a clade of generalist plants, by studying 17 co-occurring Piper spp. Sixteen species were insect-pollinated (46 species: bees, beetles and flies). We found no evidence of anemophily. Eight species were dependent on pollen vectors for sexual reproduction, but no correlation between floral and pollinator traits was recorded. None of the floral traits presented phylogenetic signal, and the evolution of these traits was not correlated. Nine species were independent of pollen vectors for sexual reproduction. We did not find any evidence of pollinator-driven floral diversification of Piper spp.; we suggest a possible role of abiotic factors as agents of selection on floral diversification. As self-pollination seems to be a common feature in the genus, the flexibility of mating systems could be another important factor related to the maintenance of floral phenotypic variation.

scholarly journals Specialization for Tachinid Fly Pollination in the Phenologically Divergent Varieties of the Orchid Neotinea ustulata

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Martel ◽  
Demetra Rakosy ◽  
Stefan Dötterl ◽  
Steven D. Johnson ◽  
Manfred Ayasse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Reproductive Strategy ◽  
Reproductive Strategies ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Deceptive Pollination ◽  
Fly Pollination ◽  
Pollination Systems

Despite increased focus on elucidating the various reproductive strategies employed by orchids, we still have only a rather limited understanding of deceptive pollination systems that are not bee- or wasp-mediated. In Europe, the orchid Neotinea ustulata has been known to consist of two phenologically divergent varieties, neither of which provide rewards to its pollinators. However, detailed studies of their reproductive biology have been lacking. Our study aimed to characterize and understand the floral traits (i.e., morphology, color, and scent chemistry) and reproductive biology of N. ustulata. We found that the two varieties differ in all their floral traits; furthermore, while Neotinea ustulata var. ustulata appears to be pollinated by both bees (e.g., Anthophora, Bombus) and flies (e.g., Dilophus, Tachina), var. aestivalis is pollinated almost entirely by flies (i.e., Nowickia, Tachina). Tachinids were also found to be much more effective than bees in removing pollinaria, and we show experimentally that they use the characteristic dark inflorescence top as a cue for approaching inflorescences. Our results thus suggest that while both N. ustulata varieties rely on tachinids for pollination, they differ in their degree of specialization. Further studies are, however, needed to fully understand the reproductive strategy of N. ustulata varieties.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal shifts in the role of floral traits in shaping tropical plant-pollinator interactions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Klomberg ◽  
Robert Tropek ◽  
Jan E.J. Mertens ◽  
Ishmeal N. Kobe ◽  
Jiří Hodeček ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Pollination Syndrome ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Mount Cameroon ◽  
Tropical Plant ◽  
Random Forest Models ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Plant Pollinator

AbstractThe pollination syndrome hypothesis predicts that plants pollinated by the same pollinator group bear convergent combinations of specific floral traits. Nevertheless, some studies have shown relatively low predictive power for these floral trait combinations. This discrepancy may be caused by changes in the importance of specific floral traits for shaping interactions under different environmental conditions and for different pollinator groups. To test this, we studied pollination systems and floral traits along an elevational gradient on Mount Cameroon during wet and dry seasons. Using Random Forest models, allowing the ranking of traits by significance, we demonstrated that some floral traits are more important than others in shaping interactions and that these traits predict pollinators relatively well. However, the distribution and importance of traits varies under different environmental conditions. Our results imply the need to improve our trait-based understanding of plant-pollinator interactions to better inform the debate surrounding pollination syndrome hypothesis.

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