scholarly journals Niche complementarity among pollinators increases community-level plant reproductive success

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ainhoa Magrach ◽  
Francisco P. Molina ◽  
Ignasi Bartomeus
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Niche Complementarity ◽  
Pollinator Diversity ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Plant Pollinator

AbstractOur understanding of how the structure of species interactions shapes natural communities has increased, particularly regarding plant-pollinator interactions. However, research linking pollinator diversity to reproductive success has focused on pairwise plant-pollinator interactions, largely overlooking community-level dynamics. Here, we present one of the first empirical studies linking pollinator visitation to plant reproduction from a community-wide perspective. We use a well-replicated dataset encompassing 16 plant-pollinator networks and data on reproductive success for 19 plant species from Mediterranean shrub ecosystems. We find that statistical models including simple visitation metrics are sufficient to explain the variability observed. However, a mechanistic understanding of how pollinator diversity affects reproductive success requires additional information on network structure. Specifically, we find positive effects of increasing complementarity in the plant species visited by different pollinators on plant reproductive success. Hence, maintaining communities with a diversity of species but also of functions is paramount to preserving plant diversity.

scholarly journals Niche complementarity among pollinators increases community-level plant reproductive success

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-None
Author(s):  
Ainhoa Magrach ◽  
Francisco P. Molina ◽  
Ignasi Bartomeus
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Niche Complementarity ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success

scholarly journals Community level individual-based plant-pollinator networks unveil pollen flow dynamics and plant reproductive success

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Allen-Perkins ◽  
María Hurtado ◽  
David García-Callejas ◽  
Oscar Godoy ◽  
Ignasi Bartomeus
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Heterospecific Pollen ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Plant Pollinator

Ecological networks are a widely used tool to understand the dynamics of ecological communities in which plants interact with their pollinator counterparts. However, while most mutualistic networks have been defined at the species level, ecological processes, such as pollination, take place at the individual level. This recognition has led to the development of individual-based networks, yet current approaches only account for individuals of a single plant species due to conceptual and mathematical limitations. Here, we introduce a multilayer framework designed to depict the conspecific and heterospecific pollen flows mediated by floral visitors among plant individuals belonging to different species. Pollen transfer is modeled as a transport-like system, where an ensemble of conspecific plant-pollinator “circuits” are coupled through pollinators. With this physical conceptualization of ecological processes, we investigate how the reproductive success of plant individuals is affected by the overall dynamics of the whole multilayer network (macrostructure), as well as by their local position within the network (mesostructure). To illustrate this multiscale analysis, we apply it to a dataset of nine well-resolved individual plant-pollinator interaction networks from annual plant grasslands. Our results show that the resulting individual-based networks are highly modular, with insect visitors effectively connecting individuals of the same and different plant species. We also obtain empirical evidence that network structure is critical for modulating individual plant reproduction. In particular, the mesoscale level is the best descriptor of plant reproductive success, as it integrates the net effect of local heterospecific and conspecific interactions on seed production of a given individual. We provide a simple, but robust set of metrics to scale down network ecology to functioning properties at the individual level, where most ecological processes take place, hence moving forward the description and interpretation of multitrophic communities across scales.

Factors affecting pollinator visitation and reproductive success in Sonneratia caseolaris and Aegiceras corniculatum in a mangrove forest in India

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHALINI PANDIT ◽  
B. C. CHOUDHURY
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Mangrove Forest ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Aegiceras Corniculatum ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success ◽  
Sonneratia Caseolaris ◽  
Exclusion Experiments ◽  
Selfing Species

Pollinator visitation to, and the reproductive success of, Sonneratia caseolaris (Sonneratiaceae) and Aegiceras corniculatum (Myrsinaceae) was investigated in a mangrove forest in India. S. caseolaris was shown to be primarily outcrossed and A. corniculatum was shown to be a selfing species. The flowers of both plant species attracted several diurnal and nocturnal visitors. Earlier reports had indicated that S. caseolaris flowered for one night and was exclusively night-pollinated. But flowers of this species were found to be in bloom both at night and during the day, and diurnal visitors to the flowers were more diverse and frequent than nocturnal ones. This was related to the higher volume and energy value of nectar in the morning. The effects of time of day and temperature on visitation rates were quantified. The importance of visitors to plant reproductive success was investigated via controlled visitor-exclusion experiments. Pollinators were expected to be more important for the outcrossing species than for the selfing species, and this was confirmed by the results of the exclusion experiments. In S. caseolaris reproductive success was determined both by pollinator availability and the intensity of flower and fruit predation, while in A. corniculatum it is likely to be resource limited.

Reproductive success of wind, generalist, and specialist pollinated plant species following wildfire in desert landscapes

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew H. Lybbert ◽  
Justin Taylor ◽  
Alysa DeFranco ◽  
Samuel B. St Clair
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Mojave Desert ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Pollination Services ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Specialist Species

Wildfire can drastically affect plant sexual reproductive success in plant–pollinator systems. We assessed plant reproductive success of wind, generalist and specialist pollinated plant species along paired unburned, burned-edge and burned-interior locations of large wildfires in the Mojave Desert. Flower production of wind and generalist pollinated plants was greater in burned landscapes than adjacent unburned areas, whereas specialist species responses were more neutral. Fruit production of generalist species was greater in burned landscapes than in unburned areas, whereas fruit production of wind- and specialist-pollinated species showed no difference in burned and unburned landscapes. Plants surviving in wildfire-disturbed landscapes did not show evidence of pollination failure, as measured by fruit set and seed:ovule ratios. Generalist- and specialist-plant species established in the interior of burned landscapes showed no difference in fruit production than plants established on burned edges suggesting that pollination services are conserved with increasing distance from fire boundaries in burned desert landscapes. Stimulation of plant reproduction in burned environments due to competition release may contribute to the maintenance of pollinator services and re-establishment of the native plant community in post-fire desert environments.

Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Pollinator Diversity and Plant Reproductive Success in Renosterveld Shrublands of South Africa

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1267-1276 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Donaldson ◽  
Ingrid Nanni ◽  
Costas Zachariades ◽  
Jessica Kemper
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Pollinator Diversity ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success

scholarly journals Bees may drive the sexual reproduction of four sympatrically distributed cacti in a vanishing coastal Mediterranean ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia A. Antinao ◽  
Gastón O. Carvallo ◽  
Beatriz Vergara-Meriño ◽  
Cristian A. Villagra ◽  
Pablo C. Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽  
Native Bees ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Pollinator Diversity ◽  
Self Compatibility

Background. Sympatric plant species that share pollinators may have similar mating systems because their floral traits are subject to comparable canalization imposed by pollinators. However, if each sympatric species bears specialized floral morphology, each species may attract different pollinators. Our study aims to describe the pollinator diversity and pollination systems of four taxa of Eriosyce that co-occur in an endangered coastal Mediterranean ecosystem in Central Chile. We took two approaches in our study: we assessed the composition and similarity of flower visitors among taxa, and we characterized the breeding systems to determine dependence on pollinators and self-compatibility. Methods. We performed field observations to characterized pollinators during two consecutive years (2016-2017). Additionally, we performed pollination experiments to elucidate reproductive modes using three treatments: manual cross-pollination, automatic self-pollination, and control (unmanipulated individuals). Results. We observed one bird species (Giant hummingbird Patagona gigas only visiting E. subgibbosa) and 14 bee species (13 natives plus Apis mellifera) visiting cacti of the genus Eriosyce. We observed variation in the similarity of intra-specific pollinator composition between years and among Eriosyce species within the same year. Individuals of E. subgibbosa were visited by less number of species (2016 = 4; 2017 = 2), while E. chilensis (2016 = 4; 2017 = 8), E. chilensis var. albidiflora (2016 = 7; 2017 = 4) and E. curvispina var. mutabilis (2016 = 7; 2017 = 6) were visited by a richest guild of visitors (up to 10 bee species each).Autonomous pollination was unfeasible inE. chilensis, which depend on bees to achieve their reproductive success. Eriosyce subgibbosa, visited mainly by the Giant hummingbird, depends on pollinators to achieve reproductive success. Both E. chilensis var. albidiflora and E. curvispina var. mutabilis were visited by a diverse assemblage of non-social native bees, showing some degree of autonomous pollination and self-compatibility. Discussion. Pollinator diversity analyses showed considerable pollinator differences between the species with ornithophilous flowers (E. subgibbosa) and remain taxa which solely dependent on Apoidea species for pollen transfer. The high diversity of native bees among sympatric Eriosyce may be a caused by their microclimatic differences at spatial (differences among cacti microhabitats) and temporal levels (differences of climatic conditions between August to December when different Eriosyce species bloom). Our study contributes to unveiling the evolutionary mechanisms for pollinator partitioning of sympatric close-related plant species. Furthermore, it improves understanding of threatened species reproductive system and ecological interactions, especially to E. chilensis and E. chilensis var. albidiflora, whose studied populations are the only known for these taxa.

scholarly journals Experimental Test of the Combined Effects of Water Availability and Flowering Time on Pollinator Visitation and Seed Set

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kate Gallagher ◽  
Diane R. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Flowering Phenology ◽  
Abiotic Factor ◽  
Pollinator Visitation ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success

Climate change is likely to alter both flowering phenology and water availability for plants. Either of these changes alone can affect pollinator visitation and plant reproductive success. The relative impacts of phenology and water, and whether they interact in their impacts on plant reproductive success remain, however, largely unexplored. We manipulated flowering phenology and soil moisture in a factorial experiment with the subalpine perennial Mertensia ciliata (Boraginaceae). We examined responses of floral traits, floral abundance, pollinator visitation, and composition of visits by bumblebees vs. other pollinators. To determine the net effects on plant reproductive success, we also measured seed production and seed mass. Reduced water led to shorter, narrower flowers that produced less nectar. Late flowering plants produced fewer and shorter flowers. Both flowering phenology and water availability influenced pollination and reproductive success. Differences in flowering phenology had greater effects on pollinator visitation than did changes in water availability, but the reverse was true for seed production and mass, which were enhanced by greater water availability. The probability of receiving a flower visit declined over the season, coinciding with a decline in floral abundance in the arrays. Among plants receiving visits, both the visitation rate and percent of non-bumblebee visitors declined after the first week and remained low until the final week. We detected interactions of phenology and water on pollinator visitor composition, in which plants subject to drought were the only group to experience a late-season resurgence in visits by solitary bees and flies. Despite that interaction, net reproductive success measured as seed production responded additively to the two manipulations of water and phenology. Commonly observed declines in flower size and reward due to drought or shifts in phenology may not necessarily result in reduced plant reproductive success, which in M. ciliata responded more directly to water availability. The results highlight the need to go beyond studying single responses to climate changes, such as either phenology of a single species or how it experiences an abiotic factor, in order to understand how climate change may affect plant reproductive success.

scholarly journals Experimental evidence of the importance of multitrophic structure for species persistence

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (12) ◽  
pp. e2023872118
Author(s):  
Ignasi Bartomeus ◽  
Serguei Saavedra ◽  
Rudolf P. Rohr ◽  
Oscar Godoy
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Mathematical Approach ◽  
Species Persistence ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Plant Pollinator

Ecological theory predicts that species interactions embedded in multitrophic networks shape the opportunities for species to persist. However, the lack of experimental support of this prediction has limited our understanding of how species interactions occurring within and across trophic levels simultaneously regulate the maintenance of biodiversity. Here, we integrate a mathematical approach and detailed experiments in plant–pollinator communities to demonstrate the need to jointly account for species interactions within and across trophic levels when estimating the ability of species to persist. Within the plant trophic level, we show that the persistence probability of plant species increases when introducing the effects of plant–pollinator interactions. Across trophic levels, we show that the persistence probabilities of both plants and pollinators exhibit idiosyncratic changes when experimentally manipulating the multitrophic structure. Importantly, these idiosyncratic effects are not recovered by traditional simulations. Our work provides tractable experimental and theoretical platforms upon which it is possible to investigate the multitrophic factors affecting species persistence in ecological communities.

scholarly journals A New Native Plant in the Neighborhood: Effects on Plant–Pollinator Networks, Pollination, and Plant Reproductive Success

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Hernández‐Castellano ◽  
Anselm Rodrigo ◽  
José María Gómez ◽  
Constantí Stefanescu ◽  
Juan Antonio Calleja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Neighborhood Effects ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success ◽  
Plant Pollinator

An Invasive Plant Species Decreases Native Plant Reproductive Success

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Molano-Flores
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Invasive Plant Species ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Plant Reproductive Success
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