Ants as floral visitors of Blutaparon portulacoides (A. St-Hil.) Mears (Amaranthaceae): an ant pollination system in the Atlantic Rainforest

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Ibarra-Isassi ◽  
Sebastián Felipe Sendoya
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Rainforest ◽  
Pollination System ◽  
Ant Pollination ◽  
Floral Visitors

scholarly journals Nocturnal and diurnal pollination in Copaifera coriacea, a dominant species in sand dunes of the Middle São Francisco River Basin, Northeastern Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 154 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-216
Author(s):  
Isys Mascarenhas Souza ◽  
Frederic Mendes Hughes ◽  
Ligia Silveira Funch ◽  
Luciano Paganucci de Queiroz
Keyword(s):  
Uv Light ◽  
Pollen Viability ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Pollen Tubes ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Stigma Receptivity ◽  
Flower Opening ◽  
Pollination System ◽  
Floral Visitors

Background and aims – Copaifera coriacea, a species in the resin-producing clade Detarioideae (Leguminosae), is an endemic and abundant species found in sand dunes in Brazilian Caatinga domain vegetation – a Quaternary paleodesert. We investigated floral traits and aspects of pollination biology, focusing on the pollination system of C. coriacea. Material and methods – Anthesis duration, stigma receptivity, pollen viability, nectar concentration, and the presence of osmophores and pigments reflecting UV light were assessed. Floral visitors were classified as potential pollinators, occasional pollinators or thieves, based on the time and foraging behaviour and resource collected. Pollination effectiveness were assessed for potential pollinators by the detection of pollen tubes on the stigma or stylar canal by epifluorescence microscopy.Key results – The species has white and small flowers, with anthesis beginning in the dark (ca 00:30) and the flowers are completely opened approximately 3 h later, when a sweet odour is perceptible. The onset of stigma receptivity and pollen grain viability occurs only after the completion of flower opening, and a concentrated nectar is available during the day. The presence of pollen tubes confirmed the efficiency of the main insects in the transfer of pollen. Conclusion – Our result demonstrates that C. coriacea has a generalist pollination system mediated mainly by two distinct guilds of insect pollinators: moths (nocturnal, searching for nectar) and bees (diurnal, pollen collectors). This finding can provide more information about diversification in the genus Copaifera.

scholarly journals Pollen adaptation to ant pollination: a case study from the Proteaceae

2020 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Delnevo ◽  
Eddie J van Etten ◽  
Nicola Clemente ◽  
Luna Fogu ◽  
Evelina Pavarani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Set ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Relative Effect ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pollen Load ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Ant Pollination ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Floral Visitors

Abstract Background and Aims Ant–plant associations are widely diverse and distributed throughout the world, leading to antagonistic and/or mutualistic interactions. Ant pollination is a rare mutualistic association and reports of ants as effective pollinators are limited to a few studies. Conospermum (Proteaceae) is an insect-pollinated genus well represented in the south-western Australia biodiversity hotspot, and here we aimed to evaluate the role of ants as pollinators of C. undulatum. Methods Pollen germination after contact with several species of ants and bees was tested for C. undulatum and five co-flowering species for comparison. We then sampled the pollen load of floral visitors of C. undulatum to assess whether ants carried a pollen load sufficient to enable pollination. Lastly, we performed exclusion treatments to assess the relative effect of flying- and non-flying-invertebrate floral visitors on the reproduction of C. undulatum. For this, we measured the seed set under different conditions: ants exclusion, flying-insects exclusion and control. Key Results Pollen of C. undulatum, along with the other Conospermum species, had a germination rate after contact with ants of ~80 % which did not differ from the effect of bees; in contrast, the other plant species tested showed a drop in the germination rate to ~10 % following ant treatments. Although ants were generalist visitors, they carried a pollen load with 68–86 % of suitable grains. Moreover, ants significantly contributed to the seed set of C. undulatum. Conclusions Our study highlights the complexity of ant–flower interactions and suggests that generalizations neglecting the importance of ants as pollinators cannot be made. Conospermum undulatum has evolved pollen with resistance to the negative effect of ant secretions on pollen grains, with ants providing effective pollination services to this threatened species.

scholarly journals Visitação de Buddleja brasiliensis (Buddlejaceae) por abelhas e beija-flores em mata higrófila de Planalto Paulista

1997 ◽  
Vol 19 (19) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Antônio de Figueiredo
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Atlantic Rainforest ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Upland Forest ◽  
Paulo State ◽  
São Paulo State ◽  
Floral Visitors

The pollination of Buddleja brasiliensis in the Atlantic rainforest is carried out by small hummingbirds. This study intended to verify if these birds are also the main visitors at this plant species in an upland forest of São Paulo State. Observations on floral visitors were done at the Reserva de Santa Genebra, Campinas, between 6:00am and 6:00pm (24 hours total). The hummingbirds Chlorostilbon aureoventris and Thalurania glaucopis visited the inflorescences, but the most frequent visitants were Apidae and Anthophoridae bees. These results indicate that the flowers of B. brasiliensis, although being visited by small hummingbirds, are utilized mainly by bees in hygrophilous forests.

scholarly journals Bimodal pollination system in rare endemic Oncocyclus irises (Iridaceae) of Lebanon

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 1327-1338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Monty ◽  
Layla Saad ◽  
Grégory Mahy
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Load ◽  
Pollination System ◽  
Visitation Rates ◽  
Floral Visitors ◽  
Potential Adaptation ◽  
Night And Day ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Rare Endemic ◽  
Plant Pollinator ◽  
Principal Advantage

Pollination systems based on indirect rewards, such as heat and shelter, have seldom been studied. Plant–pollinator interactions were characterized in Iris cedretii Dinsmore ex Chaudhary and Iris sofarana subsp. kasruwana Dinsmore ex Chaudhary, rare endemic Lebanese Oncocyclus irises exhibiting potential adaptation to shelter pollination. Despite a diversity of floral visitors (47 species), only two groups of Anthophoridae male bees ( Xylocopa spp. and Eucera spp.) could be considered as efficient pollinators on the basis of frequency of visits, visiting behaviour, and pollen load. Lebanese Oncocyclus irises showed a bimodal pollination system with (1) diurnal visits at low rates but with potentially large pollen transfers by Xylocopa bees, exhibiting a foraging-like behaviour, principally during warm periods of the day and (2) sheltering, especially Eucera male bees, during night and day when the weather is changeable. Refuge occurrence in flowers was more important during the night (27%) than during the day (12%) and, for daytime, during cloudy or windy than sunny conditions. It also varied depending on the exposure of floral tunnels. Visitation rates of both day-visiting Xylocopa and night-sheltering Eucera were negatively associated with an increase of the number of flowers per clump. No experimental evidence was found showing that the principal advantage for male bees to shelter in Iris flowers was to fly earlier in the morning.

scholarly journals The ant-pollination system of Cytinus hypocistis (Cytinaceae), a Mediterranean root holoparasite

2009 ◽  
Vol 103 (7) ◽  
pp. 1065-1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara de Vega ◽  
Montserrat Arista ◽  
Pedro L. Ortiz ◽  
Carlos M. Herrera ◽  
Salvador Talavera
Keyword(s):  
Pollination System ◽  
Ant Pollination

scholarly journals Pollination biology of Agave horrida (Agavaceae) in the Chichinautzin mountain range, in Central Mexico”

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnoldo Flores-Torres ◽  
Andrea Galindo-Escamilla
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Floral Biology ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Nectar Production ◽  
Pollination System ◽  
Floral Visitors ◽  
Exclusion Experiments ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Leptonycteris Nivalis

<p><strong>Background:</strong> the predictability of nectarivorous bats and their greater fecundity efficiency promote specialized pollination systems in columnar cactus in central Mexico. Some authors have suggested the same pollination pattern for <em>Agave</em> genus, and even when recent meta-analysis does not find such pattern, they have suggested this could be due to the lack of descriptive studies of pollination for this genus.</p><p><strong>Hypothesis:</strong> according to the chiropterophily syndrome of its flowers, the most efficient pollinator of <em>Agave horrida</em> will be nectarivorous bats leading to a pollination system with a specialist tendency in this agave species.</p><p><strong>Studied species:</strong><em> Agave horrida </em>and floral visitors.</p><p><strong>Study site and years of study: </strong>lava<strong> </strong>field of the Chichinautzin mountain range, in Morelos State in Central Mexico in 2005.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> we studied the floral biology of <em>A. horrida</em>, its floral offer (density of flowers in a given area), visitor rate, and visitor abundance, and conducted exclusion experiments for diurnal and nocturnal visitors.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> <em>A. horrida </em>has protandric flowers with chiropterophilous characteristics (larger nectar production at night and nocturnal anther dehiscence and stigma receptivity). Nectarivorous bats were the most frequent flower visitors and the guild that most frequently presented pollen on their bodies. Pollinator exclusion experiments show that both birds and bats can successfully pollinate <em>A. horrida</em>.  Nevertheless, the predictability and abundance of the nectarivorous bat <em>Leptonycteris nivalis</em>, along with the greater fruit and seed production than birds, makes it the most efficient pollinator.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> our results support the hypothesis of a specialized pollination system towards nectarivorous bats in agaves in central Mexico.</p>

Generalised pollination system of Erythrina dominguezii (Fabaceae : Papilionoideae) involving hummingbirds, passerines and bees

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ángela V. Etcheverry ◽  
Dulce Figueroa-Castro ◽  
Trinidad Figueroa-Fleming ◽  
María M. Alemán ◽  
Víctor D. Juárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Floral Morphology ◽  
Pollen Deposition ◽  
Pollination System ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Visitation Rates ◽  
Hummingbird Pollination ◽  
Basal Clade ◽  
Nectar Sugar ◽  
Floral Visitors ◽  
Intermediate Value

Plants in the genus Erythrina are pollinated by birds, such that passerine pollination is the plesiomorphic state, whereas hummingbird pollination is the derived character. Phylogenetic studies suggest that Erythrina dominguezii belongs to a basal clade characterised as pollinated by both passerines and hummingbirds. Here, we characterise the pollination system of E. dominguezii. Floral morphology, nectar traits, breeding system, visitation rates and pollen deposition by its floral visitors were studied. Floral morphology of E. dominguezii showed traits associated with both passerine and hummingbird pollination. Nectar sugar concentration showed an intermediate value but closer to the hummingbird type; however, it was rich in hexose, which is typical of the passerine type. Approximately 5% of the flowers set fruits under free pollination. Almost 80% of recorded flowers were visited by birds, with the rest visited by hymenopterans (bumblebees and honeybees). Among avian pollinators, five species of hummingbirds and three passerine species were identified as pollinators. The hummingbird Chlorostilbon lucidus was the most efficient visitor in terms of pollen deposition and was second in frequency of visits. The passerine Icterus cayanensis was second in efficiency at depositing pollen and was the most frequent pollinator. Our results show that E. dominguezii has a generalised pollination system. In addition, we report a new case of closed flowers and secondary nectar presentation. This is the first study that compares effectiveness among different pollinators in Erythrina.

scholarly journals Pollination System of Aucuba japonica: A pollination Experiment and an Observation of Floral Visitors.

2010 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-220
Author(s):  
Yoko Kunitake ◽  
Saeko Terada ◽  
Yuki Baba ◽  
Tadashi Miyashita
Keyword(s):  
Pollination System ◽  
Aucuba Japonica ◽  
Floral Visitors

scholarly journals Reproductive biology of Davilla kunthii A. St-Hil. (Dilleniaceae) in Central Amazonia

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Rodrigo Rech ◽  
Fatima Cristina de Lazari Manente-Balestieri ◽  
Maria Lúcia Absy
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Breeding System ◽  
Relative Frequency ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Pollination System ◽  
Seed Predators ◽  
Central Amazonia ◽  
Floral Visitors ◽  
Behavioural Aspects ◽  
Destructive Potential

This survey aimed at describing the interactions of floral visitors and Davilla kunthii A. St.-Hil. as well as characteristics of its reproductive biology in Itacoatiara, state of Amazonas, Brazil. Tests of the breeding system were performed. The guild of visitors was described according to richness, abundance, relative frequency and constancy. The breeding system tests indicated that D. kunthii is self-compatible. The pollination system was characterized as generalist, with 39 visitor species, from three different orders. Bees were the main group of pollinators, thus some behavioural aspects were described. Th e period of highest foraging activity was between 7 and 10 am. Some species presented agonistic and monopolistic behaviour. Given the behaviour and destructive potential, the Curculionidae seem to have a greater impact as seed predators than pollinators.

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