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Yuan B, Hu GX, Zhang XX, Yuan JK, Fan XM, Yuan DY. What Are the Best Pollinator Candidates for Camelia oleifera: Do Not Forget Hoverflies and Flies. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13060539. [PMID: 35735876 PMCID: PMC9224817 DOI: 10.3390/insects13060539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Camellia oleifera Abel. is an important woody oil plant, and its pollination success is essential for oil production. We conducted this study to select the best pollinator candidates for C. oleifera using principal component analysis and multi-attribute decision-making. Field observations of the flower-visiting characteristics of candidate pollinators were conducted at three sites. The insect species that visited flowers did not considerably differ between regions or time periods. However, the proportion of each species recorded did vary. We recorded eleven main candidates from two orders and six families at the three sites. The pollen amount carried by Apis mellifera was significantly higher than that of other insects. However, the visit frequency and body length of Apis mellifera were smaller than those of Vespa velutina. Statistical analysis showed that A. mellifera is the best candidate pollinator; Eristaliscerealis is a good candidate pollinator; Phytomia zonata, A. cerana, and V. velutina were ordinary candidate pollinators; and four fly species, Episyrphus balteatus, and Eristalinus arvorum were classified as inefficient candidate pollinators. Our study shows that flies and hoverflies play an important role in the pollination system. Given the global decline in bee populations, the role of flies should also be considered in C. oleifera seed production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; (B.Y.); (G.-X.H.); (X.-X.Z.); (J.-K.Y.)
- Key Lab of Non-Wood Forest Products of State Forestry Administration, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Guan-Xing Hu
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; (B.Y.); (G.-X.H.); (X.-X.Z.); (J.-K.Y.)
- Key Lab of Non-Wood Forest Products of State Forestry Administration, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Xiao-Xiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; (B.Y.); (G.-X.H.); (X.-X.Z.); (J.-K.Y.)
- Key Lab of Non-Wood Forest Products of State Forestry Administration, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Jing-Kun Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; (B.Y.); (G.-X.H.); (X.-X.Z.); (J.-K.Y.)
- Key Lab of Non-Wood Forest Products of State Forestry Administration, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Xiao-Ming Fan
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; (B.Y.); (G.-X.H.); (X.-X.Z.); (J.-K.Y.)
- Key Lab of Non-Wood Forest Products of State Forestry Administration, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
- Correspondence: (X.-M.F.); (D.-Y.Y.)
| | - De-Yi Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Protection for Non-Wood Forest Trees, Ministry of Education, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; (B.Y.); (G.-X.H.); (X.-X.Z.); (J.-K.Y.)
- Key Lab of Non-Wood Forest Products of State Forestry Administration, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
- Correspondence: (X.-M.F.); (D.-Y.Y.)
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