scholarly journals Plant-pollinator specialization: Origin and measurement of curvature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mannfred Boehm ◽  
Jill E Jankowski ◽  
Quentin C.B. Cronk
Keyword(s):  
Pollinator Specialization ◽  
Plant Pollinator

scholarly journals 60 million years of co-divergence in the fig–wasp symbiosis

2005 ◽  
Vol 272 (1581) ◽  
pp. 2593-2599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Rønsted ◽  
George D Weiblen ◽  
James M Cook ◽  
Nicolas Salamin ◽  
Carlos A Machado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Molecular Dating ◽  
Fig Wasp ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Pollinator Specialization ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypotheses ◽  
Fossil Data ◽  
Plant Pollinator

Figs ( Ficus ; ca 750 species) and fig wasps (Agaoninae) are obligate mutualists: all figs are pollinated by agaonines that feed exclusively on figs. This extraordinary symbiosis is the most extreme example of specialization in a plant–pollinator interaction and has fuelled much speculation about co-divergence. The hypothesis that pollinator specialization led to the parallel diversification of fig and pollinator lineages (co-divergence) has so far not been tested due to the lack of robust and comprehensive phylogenetic hypotheses for both partners. We produced and combined the most comprehensive molecular phylogenetic trees to date with fossil data to generate independent age estimates for fig and pollinator lineages, using both non-parametric rate smoothing and penalized likelihood dating methods. Molecular dating of ten pairs of interacting lineages provides an unparalleled example of plant–insect co-divergence over a geological time frame spanning at least 60 million years.

scholarly journals Plant-pollinator Specialization: Origin and measurement of curvature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mannfred Masahiro Asada Boehm ◽  
Jill E. Jankowski ◽  
Quentin C.B. Cronk
Keyword(s):  
Differential Geometry ◽  
Comparative Morphology ◽  
Pollination Ecology ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Arc Length ◽  
Curved Structures ◽  
Pollinator Specialization ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Plant Pollinator

A feature of biodiversity is the abundance of curves displayed by organs and organisms. Curvature is a widespread, convergent trait that has important ecological and evolutionary implications. In pollination ecology, the curvature of flowers and pollinator mouthparts (e.g. hummingbird bills) along the dorsiventral plane has been associated with specialization, competition, and species co-existence. Six methods have historically been used to measure curvature in pollination systems; we provide a solution to this inconsistency by defining curvature using well-established concepts from differential geometry. Intuitively, curvature is the degree to which a line is not straight, but more formally, it is the rate at which the tangent of a curve changes direction with respect to arc length. Here, we establish a protocol wherein a line is fitted against landmarks placed on an image of a curved organ or organism, then curvature is computed at many points along the fitted line and the sum taken. The protocol is demonstrated by studying the development of nectar spur curvature in the flowering plant genus Epimedium (Berberidaceae). By clarifying the definition of curvature, our aim is to make the language of comparative morphology more precise and broadly applicable to capture other curved structures in nature.

scholarly journals Pollinator niche partitioning and asymmetric facilitation contribute to the maintenance of diversity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Wei ◽  
Rainee L. Kaczorowski ◽  
Gerardo Arceo-Gómez ◽  
Elizabeth M. O’Neill ◽  
Rebecca A. Hayes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rare Species ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Transport Dynamics ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
Pollinator Specialization ◽  
Biodiversity Maintenance ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Plant Pollinator ◽  
Maintenance Of Diversity

Abstract:Mechanisms that favor rare species are key to the maintenance of diversity. One of the most critical tasks for biodiversity conservation is understanding how plant–pollinator mutualisms contribute to the persistence of rare species, yet this remains poorly understood. Using a process-based model that integrates plant–pollinator and interspecific pollen transfer networks with floral functional traits, we show that niche partitioning in pollinator use and asymmetric facilitation confer fitness advantage of rare species in a biodiversity hotspot. While co-flowering species filtered pollinators via floral traits, rare species showed greater pollinator specialization leading to higher pollination-mediated male and female fitness than abundant species. When plants shared pollinator resources, asymmetric facilitation via pollen transport dynamics benefited the rare species at the cost of the abundant ones, serving as an alternative diversity-promoting mechanism. Our results emphasize the importance of community-wide plant–pollinator interactions that affect reproduction for biodiversity maintenance.

scholarly journals The role of individual variation in flowering and pollination in the reproductive success of a crepuscular buzz-pollinated plant

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Costa Soares ◽  
Pietro Kiyoshi Maruyama ◽  
Vanessa Graziele Staggemeier ◽  
Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira Morellato ◽  
Márcio Silva Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Flowering Phenology ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Individual Specialization ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success ◽  
Pollinator Specialization ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Pollination Systems ◽  
Plant Pollinator

Abstract Background and Aims Plant individuals within a population differ in their phenology and interactions with pollinators. However, it is still unknown how individual differences affect the reproductive success of plants that have functionally specialized pollination systems. Here, we evaluated whether plant individual specialization in phenology (temporal specialization) and in pollination (pollinator specialization) affect the reproductive success of the crepuscular-bee-pollinated plant Trembleya laniflora (Melastomataceae). Methods We quantified flowering activity (amplitude, duration and overlap), plant–pollinator interactions (number of flowers visited by pollinators) and reproductive success (fruit set) of T. laniflora individuals from three distinct locations in rupestrian grasslands of southeastern Brazil. We estimated the degree of individual temporal specialization in flowering phenology and of individual specialization in plant–pollinator interactions, and tested their relationship with plant reproductive success. Key Results Trembleya laniflora presented overlapping flowering, a temporal generalization and specialized pollinator interactions. Flowering overlap among individuals and populations was higher than expected by chance but did not affect the individual interactions with pollinators and nor their reproductive success. In contrast, higher individual generalization in the interactions with pollinators was related to higher individual reproductive success. Conclusions Our findings suggest that individual generalization in plant–pollinator interaction reduces the potential costs of specialization at the species level, ensuring reproductive success. Altogether, our results highlight the complexity of specialization/generalization of plant–pollinator interactions at distinct levels of organization, from individuals to populations, to species.

Usurpation of plant-pollinator mutualisms by non-native ants

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Holway
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pollinator

Perspectives on plant–pollinator interactions from the evolution of coop-eration

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-263
Author(s):  
Sun Shan ◽  
Zhang Zhiqiang ◽  
Zhang Bo ◽  
Yang Yongping
Keyword(s):  
Plant Pollinator
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document