scholarly journals Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 856
Author(s):  
Hortensia Cabrera Reyes ◽  
David Draper ◽  
Isabel Marques
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Set ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Single Plant ◽  
Flower Visitors ◽  
Pollination Success ◽  
Pollination Limitation ◽  
Orchid Pollination ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Effective Pollinators

A single plant might be visited by many flower visitors but not all might act as pollinators. Legitimate pollinators might also differ considerably in their efficiency, limiting pollination success. Unsuitable climatic conditions such as rain also affect pollinator activity. However, in the evergreen rainforest there is no prolonged dry season and flowering occurs usually under rain. Here, we explore the dependence on pollinators and the efficiency of flower visitors for the fruiting success of 10 Andean rainforest orchids. All species were self-compatible but strictly pollinator-dependent. Overall, we found low levels of fruit set in control flowers while experimental geitonogamous and cross-pollinations increased fruit set, revealing extensive pollination limitation in all populations. Seed viability dropped considerably after self and geitonogamous pollinations suggesting the possibility of early-acting inbreeding depression. Even though we monitored flower visitors on an extensive survey, few visitors were seen in these species and even fewer acted as legitimate pollinators. Thus, even though orchid pollination might be extremely diversified, these results show that few visitors are pollinating these species, explaining the low levels of fruit set recorded in the area studied.

The pollination biology and breeding system of Aplectrum hyemale (Orchidaceae)

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 1906-1910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin P. Hogan
Keyword(s):  
Clonal Growth ◽  
Seed Weight ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Pollination Biology ◽  
Flowering Period ◽  
East Central ◽  
Visitation Rates ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Central Illinois

The pollination biology of Aplectrum hyemale (Orchidaceae) in Brownfield Woods and in Trelease Woods, east central Illinois, was studied in May 1981. During 26 h of observation over the 4-day flowering period the only potential pollinators observed entering flowers were Dialictus oblongus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Five bees of this species were seen entering flowers; none could be seen to be carrying pollinia at any time. In spite of the low visitation rates fruit-set was 82.1% in unmanipulated flowers. Fruit-set in bagged, unmanipulated flowers was 70.6%, indicating that autogamy occurs in this species. Fruit-set in bagged, emasculated flowers was 47.1%, which suggests that agamospermy may occur. Fruit-set was 92.5% in hand-pollinated flowers. No significant differences were found between treatments in seed weight or in percent seed viability. Autogamy and (or) agamospermy, along with possible clonal growth, are consistent with previously published reports of low levels of variability in this species.

Tropical fruit production depends on wild insect communities: bees and lychees in Thailand

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Khwankhao Sinhaseni ◽  
Carla P. Catterall
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Set ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Tropical Fruit ◽  
Flower Visitors ◽  
Pollination Success ◽  
Hand Pollination ◽  
Mesh Bags

Abstract The importance of wild insects as pollinators of tropical tree crops has rarely been tested. Across 18 small-scale lychee orchards in northern Thailand, we evaluated the roles of different wild insects as pollinators and predators of pests in fruit production. Quantitative assessments showed that bees (Family Apidae) were strongly dominant (83%) among insect flower visitors, comprising four species in tribes Apini and four in Meliponini. Experimental manipulations of inflorescences showed that fruit production in these orchards was: (1) dependent on flower visits by wild insects because enclosure of inflorescences in mesh bags decreased fruit set (to one-fifth) and (2) not greatly limited by pollinator deficiencies, because hand pollination of unbagged flowers did not enhance fruit set. Pollination success, as indicated by the proportion of unmanipulated flowers setting fruit, correlated positively across orchards with the abundance of large-bodied Apidae (>7 mm; most were Apis species) and of Apini, and negatively with abundance of small-bodied Apidae and of all Meliponini, despite the latter being the commonest flower visitors. We conclude that larger-bodied bees are most likely to travel sufficiently far to import genetically diverse pollen, in this landscape-scale mosaic where non-orchard habitats (both agriculture and treed patches) were sufficient to sustain wild pollinators.

scholarly journals Ecological factors driving pollination success in an orchid that mimics a range of Fabaceae

2020 ◽  
Vol 194 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Scaccabarozzi ◽  
Lorenzo Guzzetti ◽  
Ryan D Phillips ◽  
Lynne Milne ◽  
Nicola Tommasi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Spectral Reflectance ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Pollination Success ◽  
Anthropogenic Landscape ◽  
Pollinator Species ◽  
Orchid Pollination ◽  
Landscape Alteration

Abstract Rewarding plants can enhance the pollination success of co-occurring plants pollinated by food mimicry. However, it is not always possible to readily discern between the effect of model and magnet species. Here, we tested for mimicry of co-occurring Fabaceae by the rewardless Diuris magnifica (Orchidaceae) and whether the number of flowers of Fabaceae, habitat remnant size and frequency of conspecifics, influenced the pollination success of D. magnifica. Trichocolletes bees were the primary pollinators of D. magnifica, on which they displayed similar behaviour as seen when feeding on Fabaceae. Quantification of spectral reflectance suggested that flowers of Bossiaea eriocarpa, Daviesia divaricata and Jacksonia sternbergiana may represent models for D. magnifica, whereas Hardenbergia comptoniana strongly differed in colour. Orchid pollination success was not directly affected by the number of model flowers, but the pollination rate was enhanced by increased numbers of Hardenbergia flowers. Pollination success of the orchid decreased with higher density of conspecifics, but did not exhibit a significant relationship with Trichocolletes occurrence, possibly because of the contribution of sub-optimal pollinator species. Fruit set of the orchid was greater in larger habitat remnants. Overall, pollination success of D. magnifica is affected by ecological factors related to the effectiveness of mimicry, numbers of co-flowering plants and anthropogenic landscape alteration.

scholarly journals Male and female reproductive success in natural and anthropogenic populations of Malaxis monophyllos (L.) Sw. (Orchidaceae)

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edyta Jermakowicz ◽  
Beata Ostrowiecka ◽  
Izabela Tałałaj ◽  
Artur Pliszko ◽  
Agata Kostro-Ambroziak
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Floral Display ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Demographic Processes ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Effective Pollinators

Abstract In the presented study, male and female reproductive success was analyzed in relation to the population size, floral display and pollinators’ availability in natural and anthropogenic populations of the orchid Malaxis monophyllos (L.) Sw. Our results indicated significant differences between all investigated populations in parameters of floral display, including heights and number of flowers per inflorescence, as well the number of flowering individuals and their spatial structure. Additionally, populations differed both in male (pollinia removal) and female (fruit set) reproductive success, but only the fruit set clearly differentiated anthropogenic and natural populations. Despite the average flower number per plant being significantly higher in two of the anthropogenic populations, it was not related to the fruits set, which was significantly lower there. Moreover, our preliminary study concerning the potential pollinators of M. monophyllos showed a higher contribution of flies in natural habitats than in anthropogenic ones. Thus, we can suspect that the main factors influencing the level of female reproductive success in M. monophyllos populations are abundance of effective pollinators, as well as flower visitors, which may have resulted in a different level of pollen discounting in populations. Therefore, further studies concerning breeding system and pollination as important forces that shape demographic processes in M. monophyllos populations are necessary. Our results also indicate that suitable conservation methods in M. monophyllos should always include the preservation of potential pollinators, especially in these new, secondary habitats.

Types of Flower Visitors: Syndromes, Constancy, and Effectiveness

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat Willmer
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Radiation ◽  
Convergent Evolution ◽  
Pollination Syndromes ◽  
Pollinator Effectiveness ◽  
Flower Constancy ◽  
Flower Visitors ◽  
Floral Constancy ◽  
Effective Pollinators

This chapter examines pollination syndromes, floral constancy, and pollinator effectiveness. Flowers show enormous adaptive radiation, but the same kind of flower reappears by convergent evolution in many different families. Thus many families produce rather similar, simple bowl-shaped flowers like buttercups; many produce similar zygomorphic tubular lipped flowers; and many produce fluffy flower heads of massed (often white) florets. These broad flower types are the basis of the idea of pollination syndromes—the flowers have converged on certain morphologies and reward patterns because they are exploiting the abilities and preferences of particular kinds of visitor. After providing an overview of pollination syndromes, the chapter explains why pollination syndromes can be defended. It then considers flower constancy, along with the distinction between flower visitors and effective pollinators. It concludes with some observations on how flower visitors can contribute to speciation of plants through specialization and through their constancy.

Fruit Set, Seed Viability and Germination of the European Native Spartina maritima in Southwest Iberian Peninsula

Wetlands ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dolores Infante-Izquierdo ◽  
Jesús M. Castillo ◽  
F. Javier J. Nieva ◽  
Ioana D. Rotundu ◽  
Francesca T. David ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Seed Viability ◽  
Spartina Maritima

scholarly journals Uncovering Olive Biodiversity through Analysis of Floral and Fruiting Biology and Assessment of Genetic Diversity of 120 Italian Cultivars with Minor or Marginal Diffusion

Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lombardo ◽  
Fila ◽  
Lombardo ◽  
Epifani ◽  
III ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Considerable Variability ◽  
Almost All ◽  
First Time ◽  
Homogeneous Data ◽  
Modest Effect

The primary impetus behind this research was to provide a boost to the characterization of the Italian olive biodiversity by acquiring reliable and homogeneous data over the course of an eight-year trial on the floral and fruiting biology of 120 molecularly analyzed cultivars, most of which have either low or very low diffusion. The obtained data highlighted a considerable variability to almost all of the analyzed parameters, which given the uniformity of environment and crop management was indicative of a large genetic variability in the accessions under observation, as confirmed through the molecular analysis. Several cases of synonymy were reported for the first time, even among plants cultivated in different regions, whilst all of the varieties examined, with only one exception, showed very low percentages of self-fruit-set, indicating a need for the employment of suitable pollinator plants. Eventually, a fitted model allowed us to evaluate the clear effects of the thermal values on blossoming, particularly in the months of March and April, whereas the climatic conditions during the flowering time had only a modest effect on its duration.

scholarly journals Flowering phenology, fruiting success and progressive deterioration of pollination in an early-flowering geophyte

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1555) ◽  
pp. 3187-3199 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Set ◽  
Flowering Phenology ◽  
Bumble Bee ◽  
Late Flowering ◽  
Progressive Deterioration ◽  
Pollination Limitation ◽  
Hand Pollination ◽  
Western Colorado ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Erythronium Grandiflorum

Spatio-temporal patterns of snowmelt and flowering times affect fruiting success in Erythronium grandiflorum Pursh (Liliaceae) in subalpine western Colorado, USA. From 1990 to 1995, I measured the consistency across years of snowmelt patterns and flowering times along a permanent transect. In most years since 1993, I have monitored fruit set in temporal cohorts (early- to late-flowering groups of plants) at one site. To assess ‘pollination limitation’, I have also conducted supplemental hand-pollination experiments at various times through the blooming season. The onset of blooming is determined by snowmelt, with the earliest years starting a month before the latest years owing to variation in winter snowpack accumulation. Fruit set is diminished or prevented entirely by killing frosts in some years, most frequently but not exclusively for the earlier cohorts. When frosts do not limit fruit set, pollination limitation is frequent, especially in the earlier cohorts. Pollination limitation is strongest for middle cohorts: it tends to be negated by frost in early cohorts and ameliorated by continuing emergence of bumble-bee queens in later cohorts. This lily appears to be poorly synchronized with its pollinators. Across the years of the study, pollination limitation appears to be increasing, perhaps because the synchronization is getting worse.

SUPPLEMENTAL POLLINATION – INCREASING OLIVE (OLEA EUROPAEA) YIELDS IN HOT, ARID ENVIRONMENTS

2004 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICARDO AYERZA ◽  
WAYNE COATES
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Olea Europaea ◽  
Fruit Set ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Olive Trees ◽  
La Rioja ◽  
Supplemental Pollination ◽  
Arid Chaco

In general, olive trees are self-compatible, but under some climatic conditions a number of cultivars have demonstrated problems with pollination and fruit set. The Manzanillo cultivar is usually self-pollinating, but under hot conditions its pollen develops slowly, resulting in little or no fertilization. Trials were carried out in two hot, arid ecosystems (Arid Chaco in La Rioja, Argentina and Sonoran Desert in Arizona, USA) to determine if supplemental pollination of a Manzanillo cultivar has the potential to increase yields, and to assess the effectiveness of three different cultivars as sources of pollen. Branches that received supplemental pollination produced 21% more total olives than the control. In Arizona, total olive and shotberry (unpollinated olive) production were significantly different between treatments. Branches that received supplemental pollination produced 98% more olives, and had 58% fewer shotberries than did branches in the control rows. Significantly more olives were produced on branches pollinated with Sevillano and Arbequina pollen, compared with those pollinated with Ascolano pollen and with the control.

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