Floral nectary structure and nectar chemical composition of some species from Robinson Crusoe Island (Chile)

Floral nectary structure and nectar composition of 12 species, including 11 endemics, are reported from Robinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile). These species are mostly hummingbird pollinated. Nectary morphology follows the general pattern within each of the families, suggesting it is an ancestral feature. The mean nectar concentration (± SD) as a percentage of weight (weight/total weight of solution) was 28.3 ± 20.7. Sucrose, fructose, and glucose were identified in most samples. In Nicotiana cordifolia, an unknown monosaccharide was also detected. When more than one sample per species was examined, there was usually variability in sugar ratios. Statistical tests indicated that population size does not influence this variability. However, there were differences when the pollinator type was compared, with a trend of a higher sucrose proportion and a lower coefficient of variation of sucrose in the species pollinated by hummingbirds. This would indicate a specialization in the nectar composition of the hummingbird-pollinated species. Cuminia eriantha, N. cordifolia, and Rhaphithamnus venustus also possess amino acids in their nectar. In the non-hummingbird-pollinated species, the presence of nectaries and nectar serves as an indication of the ancestral pollination system of the first colonizers rather than the current condition, which is wind pollination or self-compatibility for most of the species. Thus, the presence of nectar in flowers does not necessarily indicate extant biotic pollination.Key words: angiosperms, Robinson Crusoe Island, nectary structure, nectar sugar composition, sugar concentration, hummingbird pollination.