Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carolyn A. Wessinger, Amanda M. Katzer, Paul M. Hime, Mark D. Rausher, John K. Kelly, Lena C. Hileman
Summary: In the formation of species, adaptation by natural selection generates distinct combinations of traits. The strength and nature of selection acting on genetic loci determine the maintenance of these adaptive trait combinations. Floral pollination syndromes exemplify the evolution of trait combinations adaptive for specific pollinators. A study on a Penstemon species complex with both bee and hummingbird floral syndromes reveals minimal genome-wide differentiation between species despite clear phenotypic differences. However, a small number of strongly differentiated genetic loci are found between species, which are located in high recombination regions and closely related to floral trait quantitative trait loci.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zamira Betancourt, Pascual J. Soriano, Hamleth Valois-Cuesta
Summary: Long-billed hummingbirds have a higher probability of transferring pollen from long stamens to short stigmas, while short-billed hummingbirds have a higher probability of transferring pollen from short stamens to long and short stigmas. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms behind gender specialization.
JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Laura Moquet, Anne-Laure Jacquemart, Mathilde Dufay, Isabelle De Cauwer
Summary: The study found that flower number dimorphism negatively affected the number of visits on female plants and flowers, but did not impact the number of pollen grains deposited per stigma. Meanwhile, flower size dimorphism had no effect on visitation patterns and pollen transfer.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Saeed Mohamadzade Namin, Min-Jung Kim, Minwoong Son, Chuleui Jung
Summary: There are differences in floral composition and preference for floral resources between Apis cerana honey and A. mellifera honey, but there is a low level of interspecific competition.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Agnes Sophie Dellinger, Silvia Artuso, Diana Margoth Fernandez-Fernandez, Jurg Schoenenberger
Summary: Heteranthery, the presence of distinct stamen types within a flower, is commonly explained as functional adaptation to alleviate the pollen dilemma. While the traditional hypothesis emphasizes division of labor, recent studies suggest alternative functions. Field investigations demonstrate that passerines discriminate between stamen types, playing a crucial role in pollen transfer.
Article
Ecology
Kaitlyn S. Brown, Christina M. Caruso
Summary: Human-mediated environmental change can strengthen selection on traits of interacting species. This study found that reduced pollinator populations increased pollen limitation in Lobelia siphilitica plants, leading to stronger pollinator-mediated selection for traits such as taller inflorescences and more vibrant petals that can attract pollinators.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Nicolay Leme da Cunha, Gabriela Gleiser, Agustin Saez, Vanina Ruth Chalcoff, Cristina Tur, Marcelo Adrian Aizen
Summary: Plant reliance on animal mutualists is expected to decrease with latitude, leading to more pollen wastage in temperate zones. Pollen production is positively associated with latitude, especially in species with large flowers.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Emily R. Noordyke, Edzard van Santen, James D. Ellis
Summary: The study found that a portion of adult bees consume pollen substitute patties, but do not directly feed them to larvae or store them like bee bread. Pollen substitute patties serve as a supplement, not a replacement, for natural pollen in terms of larval provisioning and long-term storage.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Horticulture
Jingli Gao, Wenjing Cai, Wenxi Li, Yang Zheng, Xiaoying Bi
Summary: The study on the allopatric sister species Iris dichotoma and I. domestica shows that besides geographical isolation, they don't have other prezygotic isolating mechanisms. Their daily flowering times are significantly different but overlap for 2.6 hours, during which they have good cross compatibility. They have common legitimate pollinators, but the visiting time doesn't overlap, and I. domestica's pollen quantity is depleted before I. dichotoma opens. Therefore, temporal isolation causes complete reproductive isolation, and flower structure difference also plays an important role in reproductive isolation.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Kara G. Leimberger, Bo Dalsgaard, Joseph A. Tobias, Christopher Wolf, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: The ecological co-dependency between plants and hummingbirds is significant for their evolution, ecology, and conservation. The lack of evidence for coevolution highlights the need for further research on interaction networks and mechanisms between plants and hummingbirds.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Y. -M. Yu, X. -X. Li, D. Xie, H. Wang
Summary: Floral traits have evolved under selection for abiotic and biotic factors, with complex zygomorphic flowers usually facing horizontally. Horizontal flowers facilitate pollinator recognition and efficiency, with upward-facing flowers offering rain protection. Floral orientation did not affect flower temperature variation, but did impact pollination precision and attraction of pollinators. Horizontal flowers may have evolved as a trade-off between rain protection and pollination, while deviations from a horizontal orientation could result in lower fitness due to flower flooding and reduced pollen transfer.
Article
Plant Sciences
Sara Martin-Hernanz, Rafael G. Albaladejo, Sebastien Lavergne, Encarnacion Rubio, Macarena Marin-Rodulfo, Juan Arroyo, Abelardo Aparicio
Summary: Through studying the genus Helianthemum, it was found that the different breeding systems and floral morphology were not linked to species diversification and environmental niche divergence. This suggests that evolutionary radiations can be decoupled from floral morphology evolution, even in lineages that diversified in heterogeneous environments like the Mediterranean Basin.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Aysajan Abdusalam, Reyilamu Maimaitituerxun, Halibinuer Hashan, Gulzar Abdukirim
Summary: The study investigated the impact of group-by-group stamen movement on pollen removal, male-male and male-female interference, and mating patterns in Geranium pratense. Results showed that spatial separation of stamen and pistil length has a stronger effect on reproduction. Stamen movements to the center of the flower increase pollen removal, while petal movements affect both self-pollen deposition rate and sexual interference in G. pratense.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jean M. Mondo, Paterne A. Agre, Alex Edemodu, Robert Asiedu, Malachy O. Akoroda, Asrat Asfaw
Summary: This study assessed the cross-compatibility of yam and analyzed the factors influencing pollination success to improve hybridization practices in yam breeding. The results showed that interspecific crossing combinations had lower crossability rates and seed production efficiency compared to intraspecific combinations. Weather conditions and pollinator's skills were the main contributors to the low success rate in intraspecific crosses, while genetic distance and heterozygosity played a minor role. The study also found that interspecific barriers were both pre-zygotic and post-zygotic, resulting from evolutionary divergence among yam species.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Phanthiwa Khongkarat, Prapun Traiyasut, Preecha Phuwapraisirisan, Chanpen Chanchao
Summary: Bee pollen is a nutrient-rich food with potential health benefits. In this study, six types of bee pollen collected from different flowering crops were analyzed. The pollen types were identified and the crude extracts were prepared and tested for enzyme inhibitory activities. The results showed that some extracts exhibited strong inhibitory activity against pancreatic lipase. Further analysis revealed the presence of unsaturated fatty acids and naringenin in one type of pollen. This study provides valuable information on the composition and potential bioactivity of different types of bee pollen.
Article
Ecology
Carlos Lara, Hugo Antonio Curiel-Duran, Citlalli Castillo-Guevara
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Wesley Dattilo, Miguel Vasquez-Bolanos, Diana A. Ahuatzin, Reuber Antoniazzi, Edgar Chavez-Gonzalez, Erick Corro, Pedro Luna, Roger Guevara, Fabricio Villalobos, Ricardo Madrigal-Chavero, Jessica C. de Faria Falcao, Adrian Bonilla-Ramirez, Agustin Rafael Garcia Romero, Aldo de la Mora, Alfredo Ramirez-Hernandez, Ana Leticia Escalante-Jimenez, Ana P. Martinez-Falcon, Andres I. Villarreal, Ashley Garcia Colon Sandoval, Bolivar Aponte, Brenda Juarez-Juarez, Citlalli Castillo-Guevara, Claudia E. Moreno, Cristopher Albor, Dora Luz Martinez-Tlapa, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Federico Escobar, Fernando J. Montiel-Reyes, Fernando Varela-Hernandez, Gabriela Castano-Meneses, Gabriela Perez-Lachaud, Gibran Renoy Perez-Toledo, Irene Alcala-Martinez, Iris Saraeny Rivera-Salinas, Isaias Chairez-Hernandez, Ivette A. Chamorro-Florescano, Jaime Hernandez-Flores, Javier Martinez Toledo, Jean-Paul Lachaud, Jesus Lumar Reyes-Munoz, Jorge E. Valenzuela-Gonzalez, Jorge Victor Horta-Vega, Jose Domingo Cruz-Labana, Jose Javier Reynoso-Campos, Jose L. Navarrete-Heredia, Juan Antonio Rodriguez-Garza, Juan Francisco Perez-Dominguez, Julieta Benitez-Malvido, Katherine K. Ennis, Laura Saenz, Luis A. Diaz-Montiel, Luis Antonio Tarango-Arambula, Luis N. Quiroz-Robedo, Madai Rosas-Mejia, Margarita Villalvazo-Palacios, Maria Gomez-Lazaga, Mariana Cuautle, Mario J. Aguilar-Mendez, Martha L. Baena, Martha Madora-Astudillo, Maya Rocha-Ortega, Michel Pale, Miguel A. Garcia-Martinez, Miguel Angel Soto-Cardenas, Miguel Mauricio Correa-Ramirez, Milan Janda, Patricia Rojas, Rene Torres-Ricario, Robert W. Jones, Rosamond Coates, Sandra Luz Gomez-Acevedo, Saul Ugalde-Lezama, Stacy M. Philpott, Tatiana Joaqui, Tatianne Marques, Veronica Zamora-Gutierrez, Viviana Martinez Mandujano, Zachary Hajian-Forooshani, Ian MacGregor-Fors
Article
Entomology
Carlos Lara, Emilia Martinez-Bolanos, Karla Lopez-Vazquez, Cecilia Diaz-Castelazo, Citlalli Castillo-Guevara, Mariana Cuautle
ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biology
Jesper Sonne, Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni, Pietro K. Maruyama, Andrea C. Araujo, Edgar Chavez-Gonzalez, Aline G. Coelho, Peter A. Cotton, Oscar H. Marin-Gomez, Carlos Lara, Liliana R. Lasprilla, Caio G. Machado, Maria A. Maglianesi, Tiago S. Malucelli, Ana M. Martin Gonzalez, Genilda M. Oliveira, Paulo E. Oliveira, Raul Ortiz-Pulido, Marcia A. Rocca, Licleia C. Rodrigues, Ivan Sazima, Benno Simmons, Boris Tinoco, Isabela G. Varassin, Marcelo F. Vasconcelos, Bob O'Hara, Matthias Schleuning, Carsten Rahbek, Marlies Sazima, Bo Dalsgaard
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juliana Cardona, Carlos Lara, Juan Francisco Ornelas
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ian MacGregor-Fors, Juan F. Escobar-Ibanez, Jorge E. Schondube, Iriana Zuria, Ruben Ortega-Alvarez, J. Roberto Sosa-Lopez, Irene Ruvalcaba-Ortega, R. Carlos Almazan-Nunez, Moises Arellano-Delgado, Stefan L. Arriaga-Weiss, Alejandra Calvo, Leonardo Chapa-Vargas, Perla X. Silvestre Lara, Juan H. Garcia-Chavez, Osvel Hinojosa, Juan M. Koller-Gonzalez, Carlos Lara, Samuel Lopez de Aquino, Dulce Lopez-Santillan, Elisa Maya-Elizarraras, Juan P. Medina, Jose de Jesus Moreno Navarro, Luis E. Murillo Garcia, Landy Orozco, Ruben Pineda-Lopez, Erick R. Rodriguez-Ruiz, Jose R. Tinajero Hernandez, Ligia B. Torres Aban, Jorge H. Vega-Rivera
Summary: This study focused on urban bird diversity in Mexico, with a special emphasis on the role of urban greenspaces and heavily-built sites. Urban greenspaces were found to have higher species richness compared to heavily-built sites, and there were clear differences in the functional groups of birds in these two urban scenarios. The relationships between urban bird diversity and cities' biogeographic region, size, elevation, and annual rainfall were also explored.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brenda Juarez-Juarez, Mariana Cuautle, Citlalli Castillo-Guevara, Karla Lopez-Vazquez, Maria Gomez-Ortigoza, Maria Gomez-Lazaga, Cecilia Diaz-Castelazo, Carlos Lara, Gibran R. Perez-Toledo, Miguel Reyes
Article
Ecology
Bo Dalsgaard, Pietro Kiyoshi Maruyama, Jesper Sonne, Katrine Hansen, Thais B. Zanata, Stefan Abrahamczyk, Ruben Alarcon, Andrea C. Araujo, Francielle P. Araujo, Silvana Buzato, Edgar Chavez-Gonzalez, Aline G. Coelho, Peter A. Cotton, Roman Diaz-Valenzuela, Maria F. Dufke, Paula L. Enriquez, Manoel Martins Dias Filho, Erich Fischer, Glauco Kohler, Carlos Lara, Flor Maria G. Las-Casas, Liliana Rosero Lasprilla, Adriana O. Machado, Caio G. Machado, Maria A. Maglianesi, Tiago S. Malucelli, Oscar H. Marin-Gomez, Vanessa Martinez-Garcia, Severino Mendes de Azevedo-Junior, Edvaldo Nunes da Silva Neto, Paulo E. Oliveira, Juan Francisco Ornelas, Raul Ortiz-Pulido, Ruth Partida-Lara, Blanca Itzel Patino-Gonzalez, Steffani Najara de Pinho Queiroz, Monica B. Ramirez-Burbano, Andre Rodrigo Rech, Marcia A. Rocca, Licleia C. Rodrigues, Ana M. Rui, Ivan Sazima, Marlies Sazima, Benno I. Simmons, Boris A. Tinoco, Isabela G. Varassin, Marcelo F. Vasconcelos, Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni, Stella Watts, Jonathan D. Kennedy, Carsten Rahbek, Matthias Schleuning, Ana M. Martin Gonzalez
Summary: The study investigated the impact of biogeography and evolutionary history on the role of functional traits in species interactions. Results showed that hummingbird clades dominated by long-billed species tend to visit longer flowers and show higher resource specialization. Additionally, bill length correlated with floral corolla length across regions and most clades, but did not strongly predict resource specialization.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jaume Izquierdo-Palma, Maria del Coro Arizmendi, Carlos Lara, Juan Francisco Ornelas
Summary: The plant-pollinator networks exhibit modular structures, where plants belonging to different specialized modules optimize pollination function by integrating floral traits. However, biological processes derived from both trait matching and forbidden links may play a more important role in tropical plant-hummingbird systems. More research with larger datasets is needed to determine whether phenotypic floral integration increases with morphological specialization in plant-hummingbird networks.
Article
Plant Sciences
C. Lara, L. Xicohtencatl-Lara, J. F. Ornelas
Summary: This study investigated the variation in reproductive traits of Psittacanthus calyculatus mistletoes on two different host tree species and at three different localities. The results showed differences in the quantity and quality of mistletoe production among different localities, but there was no significant difference in fruit formation probability, pollen viability, and other indicators among different hosts or localities. The observed differences in reproductive effort and success associated with host species or locality are proposed to be plastic or adaptive responses to varying conditions.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jesus Zuniga-Palacios, Iriana Zuria, Ignacio Castellanos, Carlos Lara, Gerardo Sanchez-Rojas
Summary: Urban areas can serve as either safe habitats or ecological traps for biodiversity, with current studies suggesting they act more as safe sites, especially for species that can adapt well to urban environments. However, there is high heterogeneity among studies, and more research is needed on a wider range of species and regions to make generalizations about the role of urban areas in biodiversity conservation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Deysi Munoz-Galicia, Citlalli Castillo-Guevara, Carlos Lara
Summary: The common green-eyed white butterflies have a strong innate preference for red flowers and demonstrate the ability to associate colors with rewards. They are able to learn new rewarded colors quickly and proficiently, especially if the spectral reflectance value of the new color is similar to the previously rewarded color.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mariana Cuautle, Cecilia Diaz-Castelazo, Citlalli Castillo-Guevara, Carolina Guadalupe Torres Lagunes
Summary: Land-use change is a major threat to biodiversity in terrestrial environments. This study investigated the effects of land-use change on ant-plant networks in a temperate forest in Mexico. The findings suggest that the conversion from native oak forest to induced grassland resulted in a more nested and generalist ant-plant network.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sergio Diaz Infante, Carlos Lara, Maria del Coro Arizmendi
TROPICAL CONSERVATION SCIENCE
(2020)