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Watazu T, Hiraiwa MK, Inoue M, Mishima H, Ushimaru A, Hosaka T. Dominance of non-wetland-dependent pollinators in a plant community in a small natural wetland in Shimane, Japan. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2024; 137:191-201. [PMID: 38206495 PMCID: PMC10899375 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-023-01518-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Many wetland plants rely on insects for pollination. However, studies examining pollinator communities in wetlands remain limited. Some studies conducted in large wetlands (> 10 ha) have suggested that wetland-dependent flies, which spend their larval stage in aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats, dominate as pollinators. However, smaller wetlands surrounded by secondary forests are more prevalent in Japan, in which pollinators from the surrounding environment might be important. Additionally, information regarding floral traits that attract specific pollinator groups in wetland communities is scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the characteristics of insect pollinators in a small natural wetland (2.5 ha) in Japan. We examined the major pollinator groups visiting 34 plant species and explored the relationship between the flower visitation frequency of each pollinator group and floral traits. Overall, flies were the most dominant pollinators (42%), followed by bees and wasps (33%). Cluster analysis indicated that fly-dominated plants were the most abundant among 14 of the 34 target plant species. However, 85% of the hoverflies, the most abundant flies, and 82% of the bees were non-wetland-dependent species, suggesting that these terrestrial species likely originated from the surrounding environment. Therefore, pollinators from the surrounding environment would be important in small natural wetlands. Flies tend to visit open and white/yellow flowers, whereas bees tended to visit tube-shaped flowers, as in forest and grassland ecosystems. The dominance of flies in small wetlands would be due to the dominance of flowers preferred by flies (e.g., yellow/white flowers) rather than because of their larval habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Watazu
- Development Technology Course, Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima, 739-8529, Japan
| | - Masayoshi K Hiraiwa
- Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Kindai University, 3327-204 Nakamachi, Nara, 631-8505, Japan
| | - Masahito Inoue
- The Shimane Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe, 1121-8 Tane, Sanbe-cho, Ohda, Shimane, 694-0003, Japan
| | - Hideo Mishima
- The Shimane Nature Museum of Mt. Sanbe, 1121-8 Tane, Sanbe-cho, Ohda, Shimane, 694-0003, Japan
| | - Atushi Ushimaru
- Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, 3-11 Tsurukabuto, Nada, Kobe, 657- 8501, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Hosaka
- Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering Program, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 7398529, Japan.
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2
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Santos‐Gómez SM, Figueroa‐Castro DM, Castañeda‐Posadas C. Are floral traits good predictors of effective pollinators? A test of pollination syndromes. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Maite Santos‐Gómez
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Puebla Mexico
- Maestría en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Puebla Mexico
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3
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Mochizuki J, Itagaki T, Aoyagi Blue Y, Ito M, Sakai S. Ovule and seed production patterns in relation to flower size variations in actinomorphic and zygomorphic flower species. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz061. [PMID: 31656557 PMCID: PMC6804480 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Zygomorphic flower species tend to show lower flower size variation than actinomorphic flower species. Have these differences also brought an association in ovule and seed production that has arisen due to natural selection in these species? Flowers were collected from 29 actinomorphic and 20 zygomorphic flower species, and fruits were collected from 21 actinomorphic and 14 zygomorphic flower species in Miyagi and Aomori prefectures, in Japan. The coefficient of variations (CVs) of flower sizes, mean ovule sizes of flowers, ovule numbers of flowers and mean seed sizes of fruits were calculated. The CV of flower sizes was marginally different between the floral symmetry types; tending to be lower in the zygomorphic flower species than in the actinomorphic flower species. The CVs of mean ovule sizes and ovule numbers of flowers increased with increase in the CV of flower sizes in the actinomorphic flower species but not in the zygomorphic flower species. Mean ovule number of flowers tends to increase with increase in mean flower size in the actinomorphic flower species but not in the zygomorphic flower species. The degrees in variations in ovule size and number of flowers were influenced by the interaction of floral symmetry type and flower size variation, suggesting that floral symmetry also has brought an evolutionary association in ovule production by flowers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Mochizuki
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Itagaki
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuta Aoyagi Blue
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Japan
| | - Masaya Ito
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Japan
| | - Satoki Sakai
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba, Sendai, Japan
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4
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Yang M, Deng GC, Gong YB, Huang SQ. Nectar yeasts enhance the interaction between Clematis akebioides and its bumblebee pollinator. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2019; 21:732-737. [PMID: 30636362 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
It has been hypothesised that intense metabolism of nectar-inhabiting yeasts (NIY) may change nectar chemistry, including volatile profile, which may affect pollinator foraging behaviours and consequently plant fitness. However, empirical evidence for the plant-microbe-pollinator interactions remains little known. To test this hypothesis, we use a bumblebee-pollinated vine Clematis akebioides endemic to southwest China as an experimental model plant. To quantify the incidence and density of Metschnikowia reukaufii, a cosmopolitan NIY in floral nectar, a combination of yeast cultivation and microscopic cell-counting method was used. To examine the effects of NIY on plant-pollinator interactions, we used real flowers filled with artificial nectar with or without yeast cells. Then the volatile metabolites produced in the yeast-inoculated nectar were analysed with coupled gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). On average 79.3% of the C. akebioides flowers harboured M. reukaufii, and cell density of NIY was high to 7.4 × 104 cells mm-3 . In the field population, the presence of NIY in flowers of C. akebioides increased bumblebee (Bombus friseanus) pollinator visitation rate and consequently seed set per flower. A variety of fatty acid derivatives produced by M. reukaufii may be responsible for the above beneficial interactions. The volatiles produced by the metabolism of M. reukaufii may serve as an honest signal to attract bumblebee pollinators and indirectly promote the female reproductive fitness of C. akebioides, forming a potentially tripartite plant-microbe-pollinator mutualism.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - G-C Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Y-B Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - S-Q Huang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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5
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Zhu YR, Yang M, Vamosi JC, Armbruster WS, Wan T, Gong YB. Feeding the enemy: loss of nectar and nectaries to herbivores reduces tepal damage and increases pollinator attraction in Iris bulleyana. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2017.0271. [PMID: 28768796 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Floral nectar usually functions as a pollinator reward, yet it may also attract herbivores. However, the effects of herbivore consumption of nectar or nectaries on pollination have rarely been tested. We investigated Iris bulleyana, an alpine plant that has showy tepals and abundant nectar, in the Hengduan Mountains of SW China. In this region, flowers are visited mainly by pollen-collecting pollinators and nectarivorous herbivores. We tested the hypothesis that, in I. bulleyana, sacrificing nectar and nectaries to herbivores protects tepals and thus enhances pollinator attraction. We compared rates of pollination and herbivory on different floral tissues in plants with flowers protected from nectar and nectary consumption with rates in unprotected control plants. We found that nectar and nectaries suffered more herbivore damage than did tepals in natural conditions. However, the amount of tepal damage was significantly greater in the flowers with protected nectaries than in the controls; this resulted in significant differences in pollinator visitation rates. These results provide the first evidence that floral nectar and nectaries may be 'sacrificed' to herbivores, leading to reduced damage to other floral tissues that are more important for reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Ru Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Min Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jana C Vamosi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada T2N 1N4
| | - W Scott Armbruster
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DY, UK.,Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Tao Wan
- Key Laboratory of Southern Subtropical Plant Diversity, Fairylake Botanical Garden, Shenzhen 518004, China
| | - Yan-Bing Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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6
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Fang Q, Huang S. Plant-pollinator interactions in a biodiverse meadow are rather stable and tight for 3 consecutive years. Integr Zool 2017; 11:199-206. [PMID: 26846890 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Plant-pollinator interactions can be highly variable across years in natural communities. Although variation in the species composition and its basic structure has been investigated to understand the dynamic nature of pollination networks, little is known about the temporal dynamic of interaction strength between the same plant and pollinator species in any natural community. Pollinator-mediated selection on the evolution of floral traits could be diminished if plant-pollinator interactions vary temporally. To quantify the temporal variation in plant-pollinator interactions and the interaction strength (observed visits), we compared weighted networks between plants and pollinators in a biodiverse alpine meadow in Shangri-La, southwest China for 3 consecutive years. Although plant-pollinator interactions were highly dynamic such that identical interactions only accounted for 10.7% of the total between pair years, the diversity of interactions was stable. These identical interactions contributed 41.2% of total visits and were similar in strength and weighted nestedness. For plant species, 72.6% of species were visited by identical pollinator species between pair years, accounting for over half of the total visits and three-quarters at the functional group level. More generalized pollinators contributed more connectiveness and were more central in networks across years. However, there was no similar or even opposite trend for plant species, which suggested that specialized plant species may also be central in pollinator networks. The variation in pollinator composition decreased as pollinator species numbers increased, suggesting that generalized plants experienced stable pollinator partition. The stable, tight interactions between generalized pollinators and specialized plants represent cornerstones of the studied community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Fang
- College of Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China.,Institute of Evolution & Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuangquan Huang
- Institute of Evolution & Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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7
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Zhao YH, Ren ZX, Lázaro A, Wang H, Bernhardt P, Li HD, Li DZ. Floral traits influence pollen vectors' choices in higher elevation communities in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains. BMC Ecol 2016; 16:26. [PMID: 27221235 PMCID: PMC4879733 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-016-0080-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND How floral traits and community composition influence plant specialization is poorly understood and the existing evidence is restricted to regions where plant diversity is low. Here, we assessed whether plant specialization varied among four species-rich subalpine/alpine communities on the Yulong Mountain, SW China (elevation from 2725 to 3910 m). We analyzed two factors (floral traits and pollen vector community composition: richness and density) to determine the degree of plant specialization across 101 plant species in all four communities. Floral visitors were collected and pollen load analyses were conducted to identify and define pollen vectors. Plant specialization of each species was described by using both pollen vector diversity (Shannon's diversity index) and plant selectiveness (d' index), which reflected how selective a given species was relative to available pollen vectors. RESULTS Pollen vector diversity tended to be higher in communities at lower elevations, while plant selectiveness was significantly lower in a community with the highest proportion of unspecialized flowers (open flowers and clusters of flowers in open inflorescences). In particular, we found that plant species with large and unspecialized flowers attracted a greater diversity of pollen vectors and showed higher selectiveness in their use of pollen vectors. Plant species with large floral displays and high flower abundance were more selective in their exploitation of pollen vectors. Moreover, there was a negative relationship between plant selectiveness and pollen vector density. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that flower shape and flower size can increase pollen vector diversity but they also increased plant selectiveness. This indicated that those floral traits that were more attractive to insects increased the diversity of pollen vectors to plants while decreasing overlap among co-blooming plant species for the same pollen vectors. Furthermore, floral traits had a more important impact on the diversity of pollen vectors than the composition of anthophilous insect communities. Plant selectiveness of pollen vectors was strongly influenced by both floral traits and insect community composition. These findings provide a basis for a better understanding of how floral traits and community context shape interactions between flowers and their pollen vectors in species-rich communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hui Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China.,Kunming College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China
| | - Zong-Xin Ren
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China
| | - Amparo Lázaro
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, c/Miquel Marquès 21, 07190, Esporles, Spain
| | - Hong Wang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China.
| | - Peter Bernhardt
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, 63103, MO, USA
| | - Hai-Dong Li
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China.,Kunming College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China
| | - De-Zhu Li
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China. .,Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, People's Republic of China.
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8
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Ibanez S, Arène F, Lavergne S. How phylogeny shapes the taxonomic and functional structure of plant-insect networks. Oecologia 2016; 180:989-1000. [PMID: 26787076 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3552-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Phylogenetically related species share a common evolutionary history and may therefore have similar traits. In terms of interaction networks, where traits are a major determinant, related species should therefore interact with other species which are also related. However, this prediction is challenged by current evidence that there is a weak, albeit significant, phylogenetic signal in species' taxonomic niche, i.e., the identity of interacting species. We studied mutualistic and antagonistic plant-insect interaction networks in species-rich alpine meadows and show that there is instead a very strong phylogenetic signal in species' functional niches-i.e., the mean functional traits of their interactors. This pattern emerges because related species tend to interact with species bearing certain traits that allow biotic interactions (pollination, herbivory) but not necessarily with species from all the same evolutionary lineages. Those traits define a set of potential interactors and show clear patterns of phylogenetic clustering on several portions of plants and insect phylogenies. Thus, this emerging pattern of low phylogenetic signal in taxonomic niches but high phylogenetic signal in functional niches may be driven by the interplay between functional trait convergence across plants' and insects' phylogenies and random sampling of the potential interactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Ibanez
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (LECA), UMR 5553, CNRS/Université de Savoie, 73000, Chambéry, France.
| | - Fabien Arène
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (LECA), UMR 5553, CNRS/Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Sébastien Lavergne
- Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (LECA), UMR 5553, CNRS/Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000, Grenoble, France
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9
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Nikkeshi A, Kurimoto D, Ushimaru A. Low flower-size variation in bilaterally symmetrical flowers: Support for the pollination precision hypothesis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2015; 102:2032-40. [PMID: 26656130 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1500371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The evolutionary shift from radial to bilateral symmetry in flowers is generally associated with the evolution of low flower-size variation. This phenomenon supports the hypothesis that the lower size variation in bilateral flowers can be attributed to low pollinator diversity. In this study, we propose two other hypotheses to explain low flower-size variation in bilateral symmetrical flowers. To test the three hypotheses, we examined the relative importance of pollinator diversity, composition, and bilateral symmetry itself as selective forces on low flower-size variation. METHODS We examined pollinator diversity and composition and flower-size variation for 36 species in a seminatural ecosystem with high bee richness and frequent lepidopteran visitation. KEY RESULTS Bilateral flowers were more frequently visited than radial flowers by larger bees, but functional-group diversity of the pollinators did not differ between symmetry types. Although bilateral flowers had significantly lower flower-size variation than radial flowers, flower-size variation did not vary with pollinator diversity and composition but was instead related to bilateral symmetry. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the lower size variation in bilateral flowers might have evolved under selection favoring the control of pollinator behavior on flowers to enhance the accurate placement of pollen on the body of the pollinator, independent of pollinator type. Because of the limited research on this issue, future work should be conducted in various types of plant-pollinator communities worldwide to further clarify the issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoi Nikkeshi
- Graduate school of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, 3-11 Tsurukabuto, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Daiki Kurimoto
- Faculty of Human Development, Kobe University, 3-11 Tsurukabuto, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Atushi Ushimaru
- Graduate school of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, 3-11 Tsurukabuto, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan Faculty of Human Development, Kobe University, 3-11 Tsurukabuto, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
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10
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Gong WC, Chen G, Vereecken NJ, Dunn BL, Ma YP, Sun WB. Floral scent composition predicts bee pollination system in five butterfly bush (Buddleja, Scrophulariaceae) species. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2015; 17:245-55. [PMID: 24841694 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2013] [Accepted: 01/31/2014] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, plant-pollinator interactions have been interpreted as pollination syndrome. However, the validity of pollination syndrome has been widely doubted in modern studies of pollination ecology. The pollination ecology of five Asian Buddleja species, B. asiatica, B. crispa, B. forrestii, B. macrostachya and B. myriantha, in the Sino-Himalayan region in Asia, flowering in different local seasons, with scented inflorescences were investigated during 2011 and 2012. These five species exhibited diverse floral traits, with narrow and long corolla tubes and concealed nectar. According to their floral morphology, larger bees and Lepidoptera were expected to be the major pollinators. However, field observations showed that only larger bees (honeybee/bumblebee) were the primary pollinators, ranging from 77.95% to 97.90% of total visits. In this study, floral scents of each species were also analysed using coupled gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Although the five Buddleja species emitted differentiated floral scent compositions, our results showed that floral scents of the five species are dominated by substances that can serve as attractive signals to bees, including species-specific scent compounds and principal compounds with larger relative amounts. This suggests that floral scent compositions are closely associated with the principal pollinator assemblages in these five species. Therefore, we conclude that floral scent compositions rather than floral morphology traits should be used to interpret plant-pollinator interactions in these Asian Buddleja species.
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Affiliation(s)
- W-C Gong
- Kunming Botanical Garden, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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11
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Gong YB, Huang SQ. Interspecific variation in pollen-ovule ratio is negatively correlated with pollen transfer efficiency in a natural community. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2014; 16:843-847. [PMID: 24628937 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 12/17/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The pollination efficiency hypothesis has long been proposed as an explanation for interspecific variation in pollen-ovule (P:O) ratios. However, no empirical study on P:O ratios has directly and quantitatively measured pollen transfer efficiency (PE). Here, we use a PE index, defined as the proportion of pollen grains removed from anthers that are subsequently deposited on conspecific stigmas, as a direct and quantitative measure of PE. We investigated P:O ratios, pollen removal and pollen deposition in 26 plant species in an alpine meadow, over three consecutive years. Our community survey showed that nearly 5% of removed pollen was successfully deposited on conspecific stigmas. The PE index ranged from 0.01% up to 78.56% among species, and correlated negatively with the P:O ratio across years. This correlation was not changed by controlling for phylogenetic relationships among species, suggesting that the interspecific variation in P:O ratios can be attributed to the probability of pollen grains reaching a stigma. The results indicate that the pollination efficiency hypothesis can help to explain interspecific variation in P:O ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y-B Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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12
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Wang H, Tie S, Yu D, Guo YH, Yang CF. Change of floral orientation within an inflorescence affects pollinator behavior and pollination efficiency in a bee-pollinated plant, Corydalis sheareri. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95381. [PMID: 24743567 PMCID: PMC3990675 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Accepted: 03/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertical raceme or spike inflorescences that are bee-pollinated tend to present their flowers horizontally. Horizontal presentation of flowers is hypothesized to enhance pollinator recognition and pollination precision, and it may also ensure greater consistency of pollinator movement on inflorescences. We tested the hypotheses using bee-pollinated Corydalis sheareri which has erect inflorescences consisting of flowers with horizontal orientation. We altered the orientation of individual flowers and prepared three types of inflorescences: (i) unmanipulated inflorescences with horizontal-facing flowers, (ii) inflorescences with flowers turned upward, and (iii) inflorescences with flowers turned downward. We compared number of inflorescences approached and visited, number of successive probes within an inflorescence, the direction percentage of vertical movement on inflorescences, efficiency of pollen removal and seed production per inflorescence. Deviation from horizontal orientation decreased both approaches and visits by leafcutter bees and bumble bees to inflorescences. Changes in floral orientation increased the proportion of downward movements by leafcutter bees and decreased the consistency of pollinator movement on inflorescences. In addition, pollen removal per visit and seed production per inflorescence also declined with changes of floral orientation. In conclusion, floral orientation seems more or less optimal as regards bee behavior and pollen transfer for Corydalis sheareri. A horizontal orientation may be under selection of pollinators and co-adapt with other aspects of the inflorescence and floral traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuang Tie
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Dan Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - You-Hao Guo
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- * E-mail: (YHG); (CFY)
| | - Chun-Feng Yang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- * E-mail: (YHG); (CFY)
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13
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Fang Q, Huang SQ. A directed network analysis of heterospecific pollen transfer in a biodiverse community. Ecology 2013; 94:1176-85. [PMID: 23858657 DOI: 10.1890/12-1634.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Community studies have shown that plant species are often pollinated by multiple pollinators; however, networks of heterospecific pollen transfer (HPT) in natural communities remain largely unexplored. We analyzed pollen deposition on stigmas of 57 flowering species to build a picture of plant-plant interactions via HPT in a biodiverse alpine meadow in southwest China. Plant species were categorized as pollen donors or recipients by their link numbers and link qualities. We identified 3609 heterospecific pollen grains, representing 410 links among 69 pollen species. Each plant species received on average 7.2 pollen species and donated its pollen to 5.5 species; only a few species donated or received large amounts of pollen or pollen from a large number of species. Compared to specialized plants, generalized plants tended to receive more heterospecific pollen but exported no more pollen to other species. Plant position in the network was related to both floral traits (stigma position) and pollinator generalization level. When different species share the same pollinator, bidirectional HPT may occur, but this was rarely observed in the species-rich community, indicating that interspecific pollen interference was largely unidirectional. Our study highlights the importance of understanding how sympatric flowering plants reduce deleterious effects of HPT, for example via stigma position. This study is the first to present a pollen transfer network for an entire community and to unravel its properties using directed network analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072 China
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14
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Community-dependent foraging habits of flower visitors: cascading indirect interactions among five bumble bee species. Ecol Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11284-013-1051-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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15
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Ibanez S. Optimizing size thresholds in a plant–pollinator interaction web: towards a mechanistic understanding of ecological networks. Oecologia 2012; 170:233-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2290-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2011] [Accepted: 02/21/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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16
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Fang Q, Huang SQ. Relative stability of core groups in pollination networks in a biodiversity hotspot over four years. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32663. [PMID: 22412902 PMCID: PMC3297609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2011] [Accepted: 01/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants and their pollinators form pollination networks integral to the evolution and persistence of species in communities. Previous studies suggest that pollination network structure remains nested while network composition is highly dynamic. However, little is known about temporal variation in the structure and function of plant-pollinator networks, especially in species-rich communities where the strength of pollinator competition is predicted to be high. Here we quantify temporal variation of pollination networks over four consecutive years in an alpine meadow in the Hengduan Mountains biodiversity hotspot in China. We found that ranked positions and idiosyncratic temperatures of both plants and pollinators were more conservative between consecutive years than in non-consecutive years. Although network compositions exhibited high turnover, generalized core groups--decomposed by a k-core algorithm--were much more stable than peripheral groups. Given the high rate of turnover observed, we suggest that identical plants and pollinators that persist for at least two successive years sustain pollination services at the community level. Our data do not support theoretical predictions of a high proportion of specialized links within species-rich communities. Plants were relatively specialized, exhibiting less variability in pollinator composition at pollinator functional group level than at the species level. Both specialized and generalized plants experienced narrow variation in functional pollinator groups. The dynamic nature of pollination networks in the alpine meadow demonstrates the potential for networks to mitigate the effects of fluctuations in species composition in a high biodiversity area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Fang
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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