scholarly journals Frequency of flower visitors and achene production increase with rising population size in the self-incompatible herb Centaurea scabiosa (Asteraceae)

Plant Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 222 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-623
Author(s):  
Stefan Abrahamczyk ◽  
Mirjam Thielen ◽  
Maximilian Weigend

AbstractSelf-incompatible, non-clonal plant species are especially dependent on the activity of flower visitors for seed production. Therefore, populations of these plants are vulnerable to a reduced flower visitation rates, but also to increased isolation by extinction of local populations. To study how local populations of Centaurea scabiosa, a self-incompatible, bee-pollinated herb species changed over time in the region of Bonn, we collected historical population records in the area and investigated their current status. We found that more than half of the subpopulations mentioned in the literature between 1950 and 2012 (38 of 65) have since disappeared. Small populations were most vulnerable, whereas medium to large populations increased in size. In a second step, we studied visitation frequencies and achene production and weight across 14 extant populations. We found that both flower visitation frequency and achene production were positively related to population size. Achene weight was neither related to the frequency of flower visitors nor to achene production. These results clearly indicate that reduced pollen transfer and lower pollination rates may contribute to local extinction in small populations of Centaurea scabiosa. Overall our results call for an intensified monitoring of the populations of self-incompatible plant species.

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Ryniewicz ◽  
Katarzyna Roguz ◽  
Paweł Mirski ◽  
Emilia Brzosko ◽  
Mateusz Skłodowski ◽  
...  

A vast majority of angiosperms are pollinated by animals, and a decline in the number and diversity of insects often affects plant reproduction through pollen limitation. This phenomenon may be particularly severe in rare plant species, whose populations are shrinking. Here, we examined the variability in factors shaping reproductive success and pollen limitation in red-listed Polemonium caeruleum L. During a 5-year study in several populations of P. caeruleum (7–15, depending on year), we assessed the degree of pollen limitation based on differences in seed set between open-pollinated (control) and hand-pollinated flowers. We analysed the effects of flower visitors, population size, and meteorological data on plant reproductive success and pollen limitation. Our study showed that pollen limitation rarely affected P. caeruleum populations, and was present mainly in small populations. Pollen limitation index was negatively affected by the size of population, visitation frequency of all insects, and when considering the visitation frequency of individual groups, also by honeybee visits. Seed production in control treatment was positively influenced by the population size, average monthly precipitation in June and visits of hoverflies, while visits of honeybees, average monthly temperature in September, and average monthly precipitation in August influenced seed production negatively. As generalist plant P. caeruleum can be pollinated by diverse insect groups, however, in small populations their main visitors, the honeybees and bumblebees, may be less attracted, eventually leading to the disappearance of these populations. In pollination of P. caeruleum managed honeybees may play a dual role: while they are the most frequent and efficient flower visitors, their presence decreases seed set in open-pollinated flowers, which is most probably related to efficient pollen collection by these insects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Ballantyne ◽  
Katherine C. R. Baldock ◽  
Luke Rendell ◽  
P. G. Willmer

AbstractAccurate predictions of pollination service delivery require a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between plants and flower visitors. To improve measurements of pollinator performance underlying such predictions, we surveyed visitation frequency, pollinator effectiveness (pollen deposition ability) and pollinator importance (the product of visitation frequency and effectiveness) of flower visitors in a diverse Mediterranean flower meadow. With these data we constructed the largest pollinator importance network to date and compared it with the corresponding visitation network to estimate the specialisation of the community with greater precision. Visitation frequencies at the community level were positively correlated with the amount of pollen deposited during individual visits, though rarely correlated at lower taxonomic resolution. Bees had the highest levels of pollinator effectiveness, with Apis, Andrena, Lasioglossum and Osmiini bees being the most effective visitors to a number of plant species. Bomblyiid flies were the most effective non-bee flower visitors. Predictions of community specialisation (H2′) were higher in the pollinator importance network than the visitation network, mirroring previous studies. Our results increase confidence in existing measures of pollinator redundancy at the community level using visitation data, while also providing detailed information on interaction quality at the plant species level.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Gorenflo ◽  
Tim Diekötter ◽  
Mark Van Kleunen ◽  
Volkmar Wolters ◽  
Frank Jauker

Biotic pollination is an important factor for ecosystem functioning and provides a substantial ecosystem service to human food security. Not all flower visitors are pollinators, however, and pollinators differ in their pollination performances. In this study, we determined the efficiencies of flower visitors to the plant species Malva sylvestris, Borago officinalis and Onobrychis viciifolia by analysing stigmatic pollen deposition. We further calculated pollinator effectiveness by scaling up single-visit pollen deposition using visitation frequency. Flower-visitor groups differed in their efficiencies at the single-visit level and not all of them deposited more pollen compared to unvisited stigmas. Bumblebees tended to be most efficient in depositing pollen per single visit across the three plant species. Due to the by far highest visitation frequencies, Apis mellifera showed the highest effectiveness in depositing pollen per hour for M. sylvestris and B. officinalis, but not for O. viciifolia, for which the Bombus lapidarius complex was both the most frequent and the most effective pollinator group. Hence, the most frequent flower visitors were most effective in our study. For non-dominant pollinator groups, however, visitation frequencies contributed disproportionally to pollinator effectiveness. Thus, combining pollen deposition per single-visit with visitation frequency is necessary to reveal true pollinator performance and to better understand flower-visitor interactions. 


Author(s):  
Richard Frankham ◽  
Jonathan D. Ballou ◽  
Katherine Ralls ◽  
Mark D. B. Eldridge ◽  
Michele R. Dudash ◽  
...  

Genetic management of fragmented populations involves the application of evolutionary genetic theory and knowledge to alleviate problems due to inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity in small population fragments. Populations evolve through the effects of mutation, natural selection, chance (genetic drift) and gene flow (migration). Large outbreeding, sexually reproducing populations typically contain substantial genetic diversity, while small populations typically contain reduced levels. Genetic impacts of small population size on inbreeding, loss of genetic diversity and population differentiation are determined by the genetically effective population size, which is usually much smaller than the number of individuals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3422-3434
Author(s):  
Michelle L. McLellan ◽  
Bruce N. McLellan ◽  
Rahel Sollmann ◽  
Heiko U. Wittmer

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis M Hansen ◽  
Karin Beer ◽  
Christine B Müller

Most floral nectars are clear as water, and the enigmatic coloured nectar in three endemic plant species in Mauritius has puzzled scientists studying it. One hypothesis about the possible ecological function of coloured nectar is that it serves as a visual signal for pollinators. Recent studies have shown that at least two of the three Mauritian plant species with coloured nectar are visited and pollinated by endemic Phelsuma geckos. We here provide experimental evidence for the visual signal hypothesis by showing that Phelsuma ornata geckos prefer coloured over clear nectar in artificial flowers. In flowering plants, coloured nectar could additionally function as an honest signal that allows pollinators to assert the presence and judge the size of a reward prior to flower visitation, and to adjust their behaviour accordingly, leading to increased pollinator efficiency. Our study provides a first step in understanding this rare and intriguing floral trait.


1996 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 796-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jo W. Godt ◽  
Bart R. Johnson ◽  
J.L. Hamrick

Author(s):  
Weixue Mu ◽  
Jinpu Wei ◽  
Ting Yang ◽  
Yannan Fan ◽  
Le Cheng ◽  
...  

Nyssa yunnanensis is a deciduous tree in family Nayssaceae within the order Cornales. As only 8 individuals in 2 sites recorded in Yunnan province of China, the species was listed as the China’s national grade-I protection species in 1999, and also as one of 120 PSESP(Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations) in Implementation Plan of Rescuing and Conserving China’s Plant Species with extremely Small Populations(PSESP) (2011-2-15). N. yunnanensis was also been evaluated as Critically Endangered in IUCN red list and Threatened Species List of China's Higher Plants. Hence understanding the genomic characteristics of this highly endangered Tertiary relict tree species is essential, especially for developing conservation strategies. Here we sequenced and annotated the genome of N. yunnanensis using 10X genomics linked-reads sequencing data. The de novo assembled genome is 1474Mb in length with a scaffold N50 length of 985.59kb. We identified 823.51Mb of non-redundant sequence as repetitive elements and annotated 39,803 protein-coding genes in the assembly. Our result provided the genomic characteristics of N. yunnanensis, which will provide valuable resources for future genomic and evolutionary studies, especially for conservation biology studies of this extremely threatened tree species.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 37-50
Author(s):  
B. A. Baranovsky ◽  
I. A. Ivanko ◽  
A. V. Kotovych ◽  
L. A. Karmyzova ◽  
N. O. Roschina

Biodiversity is important for maintaining of forest ecosystems functioning and in their resistance to anthropo-climatic challenges. Assessment of species diversity and species ecomorphic analysis is the basis for determining their current status, rational use and protection. At the end of the nineteenth century, Belgard A. L. (1950) in his system of ectomorphs using terminology presented by Dekandol (1956) and Warming (1903), had proposed a «trophomorph» category that reflected species relation to soil richness. Analysis of trophomorphs reflects diversity of soil conditions in different biotopes within forest ecosystems. The article gives an analysis on vascular plant trophomorphs distribution in various forest biotopes of Oril river valley. Flora and vegetation surveys in forests of Oril river valley were carried out by A. L. Belgard and T. F. Kirichenko since the 30s of the 20th century. The latest data on forest vegetation state within the Oril river valley were given in the works of Y. Gamulja and V. Manyuk. Generalized bioecological analysis of flora Oril river valley was represented in the monograph of B. Baranovsky, V. Maniuk, I. Ivanko, L. Karmyzova «Flora analysis of the Oril National Park». As is known, edaphic conditions of plant habitats in a first place are determined by soil fertility depending on the plant nutrients availability. Soddy-forest soil on sandy terrace of Oril river valley has a relatively low content of humus and total nitrogen: 2 and 0.04 %. Under these conditions, pine phytocenoses were ocсurred that represented exclusively by artificial plantings. Soils in the depressed area of Oril river floodplain are much richer in humus and nitrogen content (10 and 0.37 %). Here, arboreal and shrubby vegetation is represented by communities with common oak. On the second terrace of Oril river valley, forest vegetation is represented by artificial pine forests. Microcenoses with black locust, amorpha and willow occurred on elevated areas of sandy terrace (arena). In the depressed area of the arena, microcenoses with aspen and birch, aspen, Tatarian maple, amorpha, black locust were occurred additionally to pine communities. In the Oril floodplain, native arboreal and shrubby vegetation is represented mainly by communities with common oak. In depressed areas of the floodplain, microcenoses with white poplar, black poplar, aspen, Tatarian maple, amorpha, willow (Salix alba, S. fragilis), osiery (Salix cinerea, S. triandra),  and alder are fragmentarily occurred. In conditions of elevated areas of the floodplain, 196 vascular plants species were found, and 105 species in depressed areas. On the second terrace, 38 plant species grow on the elevated areas, and 54 species on the depressed ones. Flora includes 45 adventive plant species. In depressed floodplain areas, oligotrophs are represented by 7 species, mesotrophs by 126 species, megatrophs by 50 species, and in elevated areas: 7, 126 and 25 species, respectively. In depressed areas of arena oligotrophs are represented by 4 species, mesotrophs by 29 species, and megatrophs by 11, elevated areas: 7 and 21 species respectively, and megatrophs were absent.


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