Article
Plant Sciences
Ryan D. Phillips, Bjorn Bohman, Rod Peakall, Noushka Reiter
Summary: This study discovers a new type of sexual deception in orchids, where pollination occurs during feeding behavior at the labellum, offering important insights into pollination strategy shifts. Similar pollination strategies were found in other Caladenia species, suggesting a widespread occurrence across the genus and providing clues about transitional strategies during the evolution of sexual deception.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhou-Dong Han, You Wu, Peter Bernhardt, Hong Wang, Zong-Xin Ren
Summary: This study reports the role of fungus gnats as pollinators for the orchid species Corybas geminigibbus and C. shanlinshiensis in southwestern Yunnan, China. The fungus gnats were found to carry the pollinia on their thoraces and no eggs were found in the flowers. Fragrance analyses did not suggest that these orchid species were mimicking mushroom brood-sites. This is the first confirmation of fungus gnats dispersing the pollinia of Corybas species in subtropical-temperate Asia.
Article
Plant Sciences
Hai-Ping Zhang, Zhi-Bin Tao, Judith Trunschke, Mani Shrestha, Daniela Scaccabarozzi, Hong Wang, Zong-Xin Ren
Summary: Comparison and quantification of multiple pre- and post-pollination barriers are crucial for understanding factors promoting reproductive isolation. This study focused on three sympatric Habenaria species, and revealed the importance of pollinators as isolating barriers.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Noushka Reiter, Mike Wicks, Gail Pollard, Graham Brown, Myles Menz, Bjorn Bohman
Summary: Critical for conserving endangered orchids is identifying their pollinators and their distribution. We identified the pollinator(s), mechanisms of attraction, and the presence of pollinators at different sites for Caladenia xanthochila. The pollinator for C. xanthochila was a species of thynnine wasp, Phymatothynnus aff. nitidus. Hand pollinations revealed that pollination was pollen limited and significantly related to rainfall. Potential translocation sites for C. xanthochila were limited, with some lacking the pollinator. Additionally, evidence for cryptic species of pollinators was found, highlighting the importance of accurate identification.
Article
Plant Sciences
N. Alpuente, M. A. Miranda, J. Cursach
Summary: This study investigated the floral biology and pollination strategy of Aristolochia bianorii, an endemic plant species in the Balearic Islands. It was found that the species exhibits both autonomous self-pollination and cross-pollination, with Oscinomorpha longirostris flies being the main pollinators. The study showed that reproductive success depends on cross-pollination, while autonomous self-pollination serves as a backup mechanism in the potential absence of pollinators.
Article
Plant Sciences
N. S. L. Albuquerque, P. Milet-Pinheiro, D. D. Cruz, D. M. A. F. Navarro, I. C. Machado
Summary: The Neotropical orchid genus Sarcoglottis, with approximately 40 species emitting strong floral scents, relies on nectar-seeking orchid bees such as Eulaema atleticana and E. niveofasciata for pollination. The floral scent of Sarcoglottis acaulis signals the presence of nectar, attracting the bees despite not triggering stereotyped scent-gathering behavior. This self-compatible plant depends on pollinators to increase fruit set, with attributes like low nectar amount and steady-state flowering contributing to its high fruit set.
Article
Plant Sciences
Darren C. J. Wong, James Perkins, Rod Peakall
Summary: Sexually deceptive plants attract specific male insects for pollination by mimicking their characteristics. This study investigated the flower color biochemistry and gene expression patterns in different groups of the sexually deceptive orchid genus Chiloglottis using chemical and transcriptome analysis. The results showed that the dark calli/callus structures in these plants have conserved biochemical basis across the genus, but there are differences in the proportion of methoxylated anthocyanin and flavonol glycoside derivatives and gene expression levels between the Reflexa/Formicifera clades and the Valida clade.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
L. M. Pansarin, E. R. Pansarin, I. Alves-Dos-Santos, S. P. Teixeira
Summary: The study provides a detailed investigation of the floral anatomy of 32 species of micro Oncidiinae, revealing the relationship between floral morphology and secretory structures with the pollinators attracted to them. Different pollinator groups are associated with distinct secretory flower structures and rewards, affecting the diversification of this subtribe in the Neotropics.
Article
Entomology
Hortensia Cabrera Reyes, David Draper, Isabel Marques
Summary: The dependence on pollinators is crucial for the understanding of pollination ecology. Inefficient pollinators and unsuitable conditions may lead to reproductive failure. Research shows that while various visitors may interact with orchid flowers, only a few are considered legitimate pollinators.
Article
Biology
Leonardo Llorens, Marcello D. Cerrato, Ivan Cortes-Fernandez, Lorenzo Gil
Summary: Delphinium pentagynum subsp. formenteranum is an endangered endemic species on the Formentera island. The study found that it has flowering synchrony and lack of odor-related volatiles in flowers, and high alkaloid content. The germination of the seeds is affected by temperature and water availability, but the seeds can maintain high viability for several years.
Article
Ecology
Salvatore Cozzolino, Giovanni Scopece, Michele Lussu, Pierluigi Cortis, Florian P. Schiestl
Summary: Ecotypes in flowering plants are crucial in ecological speciation as local adaptation can lead to reproductive isolation. In a study of two coexisting orchid ecotypes with marked floral divergence, it was found that they have different ecological habitat preferences and achieve floral isolation through different pollination strategies. This suggests a potential evolution towards sexual mimicry in Orchidinae.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emilia Brzosko, Andrzej Bajguz, Justyna Burzynska, Magdalena Chmur
Summary: This study found that differences in flower structure and nectar composition have some impact on reproductive success in natural and anthropogenic populations of generalist orchid Epipactis palustris, but the selection on nectar components plays a more important role. Natural populations produce nectar with a larger amount of sugars and amino acids, while anthropogenic populations show a dominance of fructose and glucose in their nectar.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emilia Brzosko, Andrzej Bajguz, Justyna Burzynska, Magdalena Chmur
Summary: The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of flower structure and nectar composition on the reproductive success of Epipactis helleborine orchids in natural and anthropogenic habitats. We found that anthropogenic populations had higher fruiting rates and different pollinaria removal rates compared to natural populations. Floral display and flower traits showed limited effects on reproductive success, with nectar chemistry being the most important trait. The nectar of E. helleborine had lower sugar concentration in anthropogenic populations and a dominance of sucrose in natural populations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Veronica Carolina Soto, Ismael Jairo Gabriel Gatica, Claudio Romulo Galmarini
Summary: Honeybees are crucial for onion pollination, and introducing beehives during 40-50% of flowering can significantly increase seed yields. As onion flowers, more bee visits were recorded, with the highest number at 70% of flowering.
Article
Entomology
Vesna Gagic, Lindsey Kirkland, Liam K. Kendall, Jeremy Jones, Jeffrey Kirkland, Cameron Spurr, Romina Rader
Summary: The study found that substantial pollen limitation occurs when honeybees are alone, as they prefer to visit hermaphrodite flowers and do not transition well to female flowers. Additionally, seed set is lower when blowflies are present alongside honeybees.
Article
Ecology
Csaba Tolgyesi, Csaba Vadasz, Robert Kun, Andras Istvan Csatho, Zoltan Batori, Alida Habenczyus, Laszlo Erdos, Peter Torok
Summary: Grassland restoration globally is seeing progress in addressing biodiversity loss and ecosystem service depletion. The choice of post-restoration management plays a crucial role in the long-term community reassembly, potentially having a comparable impact to the restoration method chosen. Selecting an optimal post-restoration management strategy is essential for ensuring successful restoration outcomes in grasslands.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Csaba Tolgyesi, Attila Torma, Zoltan Batori, Jelena Seat, Milos Popovic, Robert Galle, Nikolett Galle-Szpisjak, Laszlo Erdos, Tamas Vinko, Andras Kelemen, Peter Torok
Summary: Drainage canals, previously considered detrimental to nature conservation, have been found to harbor high biodiversity and should be recognized as important novel ecosystems with conservation value. Agricultural canals support remarkable species richness, especially for native species, but may also serve as important dispersal corridors for non-native invasive plants. Canal size has little effect on biodiversity, but habitat stress, such as sandiness and salinity, plays a significant role in determining the added value of canals to landscape-wide biodiversity.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Csaba Tolgyesi, Elise Buisson, Aveliina Helm, Vicky M. Temperton, Peter Torok
Summary: While tree planting is a common nature-based solution for addressing climate change, it has serious drawbacks in many regions. Grasslands, as natural vegetation, may support higher biodiversity and a safer carbon stock than plantations and forests, suggesting that restoring native vegetation may be a more effective alternative to tree planting.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Laszlo Erdos, Khanh Vu Ho, Zoltan Batori, Gyorgy Kroel-Dulay, Gabor Onodi, Csaba Tolgyesi, Peter Torok, Attila Lengyel
Summary: Ecosystems with forest and grassland patches as alternative stable states contain various habitats aligned along a vegetation cover gradient, showing different patterns of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity. Taxonomic diversity peaks in the middle of the gradient, functional diversity is high in woody habitats but lower in grassland, and phylogenetic diversity varies depending on the evolutionary age of the habitats. The community assembly in grasslands may be dominated by environmental filtering, while competition may be decisive in woody habitats.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Reka Gergely, Jacint Tokolyi
Summary: Within-species variation in animal body size predicts major differences in life history, for example, in reproductive development, fecundity, and longevity. Large size could fuel different life functions, such as reproduction and survival (the energy reserve hypothesis), while demanding more energy for maintenance (the energy demand hypothesis). Disentangling these hypotheses is difficult due to resource availability, but manipulating body size and resource availability in Hydra oligactis, we found evidence supporting the energy reserve hypothesis and observed different responses in males and females.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Gergely Kovacsics-Vari, Judit Sonkoly, Katalin Toth, Andrea McIntosh-Buday, Patricia Diaz Cando, Viktoria Toro-Szijgyarto, Nora Balogh, Luis Roberto Guallichico Suntaxi, Francis David Espinoza Ami, Laszlo Demeter, Bela Tothmeresz, Peter Torok
Summary: By analysing cattle-and sheep-grazed sand grasslands in the Nyirseg region, East Hungary, the study aimed to determine the effects of livestock type and grazing intensity on vegetation characteristics. The results showed that livestock type did not have a significant independent effect on the studied characteristics, but the interaction between livestock type and grazing intensity did have an impact. It was concluded that careful adjustment of grazing intensity and long-term experiments studying different livestock and habitat types are essential for the management of sand grasslands.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Khanh Vu Ho, Gyorgy Kroel-Dulay, Csaba Tolgyesi, Zoltan Batori, Eszter Tanacs, Miklos Kertesz, Peter Torok, Laszlo Erdos
Summary: This study investigated the differences in species composition and ecological value between natural poplar forests and three common types of tree plantations in central Hungary. The results showed that natural poplar forests had the highest species richness and diversity and the highest ecological and conservation value compared to the plantations. The study suggests that conservation and restoration efforts should prioritize the protection of natural poplar forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Henrietta Bak, Reka Fekete, Peter Torok, Kristof Suveges, V. Attila Molnar
Summary: Garlic pennycress (Mummenhoffia alliacea) is a rare weed protected in Hungary, and three new sites of this species were discovered in 2021. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of habitat management practices on seed mass and germination. Late-spring mowing was found to be optimal for the reproduction of M. alliacea, and traditional mowing methods were more beneficial for the species' survival compared to modern lawnmowers. The highest observed NaCl concentration for germination was 0.75 m/m%, indicating that anthropogenic habitats could be suitable for the species.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Justine Boutry, Marie Buysse, Sophie Tissot, Chantal Cazevielle, Rodrigo Hamede, Antoine M. Dujon, Beata Ujvari, Mathieu Giraudeau, Alexander Klimovich, Frederic Thomas, Jacint Tokolyi
Summary: This study investigates the diversity of tumors found in freshwater cnidarians called hydras, specifically looking at different sexes and geographical origins. The study also identifies a unique microbiota associated with these tumors, providing new insights into the understanding of tumor susceptibility and diversity in hydras.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jacint Tokolyi
Summary: Temperature plays a crucial role in controlling population dynamics of facultatively sexual animals. The increasing temperature due to global warming is likely to disrupt the population dynamics of these animals, which are key components of freshwater ecosystems. This study focused on the fitness effects of warming in Hydra oligactis, a freshwater cnidarian. The results showed that warming had a complex effect on sexual fitness, with a decrease in gonad number but an increase in multiple rounds of gamete production. Asexual reproduction and survival rate also increased in response to higher temperature. These findings predict an increased population growth of H. oligactis in temperate freshwater habitats, which will have implications for the whole aquatic ecosystem.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Viktoria Toro-Szijgyarto, Nora Balogh, Tamas Henn, Andrea McIntosh-Buday, Judit Sonkoly, Attila Takacs, Gergely Kovacsics-Vari, Patricia Diaz Cando, V. Attila Molnar, Gabor Matus, Balazs Teleki, Kristof Suveges, Balazs A. Lukacs, Adam Lovas-Kiss, Bela Tothmeresz, Edina Toth, Katalin Toth, Peter Torok
Summary: Seed weight is an important and measurable physical characteristic of plant seeds, influencing crucial ecological processes. It affects dispersal, predation, germination, growth, and survival of seedlings. Providing trait data for species missing from international databases is essential for advancing our understanding of plant communities and ecosystems in the face of global climate change and biodiversity loss.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Eniko T-Krasznai, Viktoria B-Beres, Verona Lerf, Gabor Varbiro, Andras Abonyi, Peter Torok, Gabor Borics
Summary: The distribution of phytoplankton in lakes is largely determined by the mixing regime, the spatial distribution of nutrients, and light. Linear stratification, representing a continuous and gradual decrease in water temperature with depth, was investigated to understand its impact on the vertical distribution of phytoplankton. The study found that multiple biomass peaks of different phytoplankton functional groups could develop in response to the strong linear stratification of the water column. Light irradiance did not influence the vertical distribution of biomass and taxonomic richness, but the depth of the euphotic zone played a role in determining the number of distinct biomass peaks.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Judit Sonkoly, Edina Toth, Nora Balogh, Lajos Balogh, Denes Bartha, Kinga Csendesne Bata, Zoltan Batori, Nora Bekefi, Zoltan Botta-Dukat, Janos Boloni, Aniko Csecserits, Janos Csiky, Peter Csontos, Istvan Dancza, Balazs Deak, Zoltan Konstantin Dobolyi, Anna E-Vojtko, Ferenc Gyulai, Alida Anna Habenczyus, Tamas Henn, Ferenc Horvath, Maria Hohn, Gusztav Jakab, Andras Kelemen, Gergely Kiraly, Szabolcs Kis, Gergely Kovacsics-Vari, Andras Kun, Eva Lehoczky, Attila Lengyel, Barbara Lhotsky, Viktor Loki, Balazs Andras Lukacs, Gabor Matus, Andrea McIntosh-Buday, Attila Mesterhazy, Tamas Miglecz, V. Attila Molnar, Zsolt Molnar, Tamas Morschhauser, Laszlo Papp, Patricia Posa, Tamas Redei, David Schmidt, Ferenc Szmorad, Attila Takacs, Julia Tamas, Viktor Tiborcz, Csaba Tolgyesi, Katalin Toth, Bela Tothmeresz, Orsolya Valko, Viktor Virok, Tamas Wirth, Peter Torok
Summary: The existing plant trait databases have limited applicability for studying the flora and vegetation of Eastern and Central Europe due to their limited geographical data coverage and incorporation of records from regions with different climatic conditions. To address this issue, PADAPT, a regional dataset of plant traits for the Pannonian region, has been compiled, providing data on 54 traits and attributes of plant species in the region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Csaba Tolgyesi, Alida Anna Habenczyus, Andras Kelemen, Peter Torok, Orsolya Valko, Balazs Deak, Laszlo Erdos, Benedek Toth, Nandor Csikos, Zoltan Batori
Summary: Tree planting is a widely used nature-based solution for mitigating climate change. However, it can have adverse effects in naturally open biomes, such as water shortage due to increased evapotranspiration. This study assessed how soil texture affects the trade-off between tree cover and water balance in the forest-steppe biome.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)