Article
Forestry
Riko Komamura, Kohei Koyama, Takeo Yamauchi, Yasuo Konno, Lingshuang Gu
Summary: The study identified the most important pollinators of Cardiocrinum cordatum as the bumblebee, sweat bee, and marmalade hoverfly, while the contribution of a flower-visiting ant species was found to be small. The research also highlighted the need for more information on flower-visiting species to accurately assess pollination contribution.
Article
Horticulture
Qingxian Wu, Leni Jin, Tangjie Nie, Sitong Liu, Zengfang Yin
Summary: Magnolia soulangeana 'Hongyun' is an ornamental tree with attractive shape and abundant flowers. Its breeding system is partially self-compatible, outcrossing, and depends on pollinators. 'Hongyun' presents a mass-flowering pattern with secondary opening and closing in the flowering process.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2024)
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
Plant Sciences
Andrea E. Berardi, Ana C. Betancourt Morejon, Robin Hopkins
Summary: This study investigates the patterns of floral evolution in the North American Silene section Physolychnis, a group characterized by the evolution of novel red floral color and exposure to hummingbird pollinators. The results show that the clustering of floral traits does not align with phenotypically divergent pollination syndromes, and there is little evidence that phylogenetic history or geographic overlap explains patterns of floral diversity in this group. Additionally, it is found that red-flowering species have evolved floral traits that align with the hummingbird syndrome, but also overlap with white and pink species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
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
Plant Sciences
Alyssa B. Stewart, Carolina Diller, Michele R. Dudash, Charles B. Fenster
Summary: The evolution of floral traits is linked to selection for increased pollination efficiency. Our study found that four floral character states are important in promoting precise pollen placement on different pollinators.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gabriella da Silva Saab, Vidal de Freitas Mansano, Anselmo Nogueira, Isabele Carvalho Maia, Pedro Joaquim Bergamo, Juliana Villela Paulino
Summary: The study on buzz-pollinated flowers reveals a division of labor among different stamen morphs, with large bees mainly exploiting pollen from central anthers, and intermediate stamens attracting both pollinators and providing pollen resources. This division of labor in large pollen flowers is associated with the evolution of trimorphic androecium, representing an effective strategy for overcoming the pollen dilemma and optimizing feeding function.
Article
Ecology
Hao Wang, Spencer C. H. Barrett, Xue-Yan Li, Yang Niu, Yuan-Wen Duan, Zhi-Qiang Zhang, Qing-Jun Li
Summary: Research shows that in hermaphrodite plants, sexual interference between male and female function can be reduced by protandry. Lack of pollinator service in these plants can lead to the restriction of male function, which may lower seed production in comparison to females. This sexual conflict appears to have played a role in the evolution of gynodioecy in certain populations, highlighting the importance of understanding sexual dimorphism in plant evolution.
Article
Plant Sciences
Marina M. Strelin, Nicolay L. da Cunha, Aime Rubini-Pisano, Juan Fornoni, Marcelo A. Aizen
Summary: This study provides empirical evidence supporting Darwin's hypothesis about the relationship between vertical acropetal inflorescences with protandrous flowers and bee pollination.
PLANT REPRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Samantha Maite de los Santos-Gomez, Dulce Maria Figueroa-Castro, Carlos Castaneda-Posadas
Summary: Pollination syndromes have been shown to predict the groups of pollinators for plant species such as bees, birds, and bats. However, in a study involving nine plant species with varying life cycles, it was found that while six species were visited by effective pollinators, only four were effectively pollinated by the predicted primary or secondary pollinators. Dahlia coccinea and Tigridia pavonia were the only species where the predicted pollinator group was both effective and associated with floral traits. The predictability of pollination syndromes was not observed for annual and perennial plant species.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shivani Krishna, Elsa M. Jos, Hema Somanathan
Summary: Touch-sensitive movement in stigmas of angiosperm flowers, known as touch-sensitive stigmas (TSS), has been little studied despite being documented in a small fraction of angiosperm species. This review examines its occurrence in the angiosperm phylogeny and explores associations between plant reproductive traits and TSS. The distribution of TSS is phylogenetically clustered within the order Lamiales, with the family Bignoniaceae being abundant in TSS species. The strongest association is found with bisexual flowers, while other traits associated with TSS include self-incompatible mating systems, dichogamy, large campanulate corollas, specialized pollination, and multiple ovules.
Article
Horticulture
Huihui Zhang, Huaiyan Wu, Qi Zhou, Runan Zhao, Qianqian Sheng, Zunling Zhu
Summary: Nymphaea hybrid, a precious aquatic plant of the family Nymphaeaceae, has important aesthetic, economic, medicinal, and ecological values. Research on its flowering characteristics and reproductive biology is crucial for the reproduction and breeding of superior water lily varieties. Studies have shown that xenogamy is the main reproductive system, and pollinators such as bees play a crucial role in the pollination of N. hybrid.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2021)
Article
Horticulture
Hongli Wei, Chao Gao, Jie Qiu, Li Long, Biao Wang, Lu Yang, Yang Hu
Summary: This study investigated the flowering and pollen characteristics of Camellia weiningensis Y.K. Li. The plant is monoecious and attracts a large number of pollinators due to its centralized flowering nature. The pollen morphology is conducive to cross-pollination. The findings provide important insights for pollination and breeding purposes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Agnes S. Dellinger, Rocio Perez-Barrales, Fabian A. Michelangeli, Darin S. Penneys, Diana M. Fernandez-Fernandez, Juerg Schoenenberger
Summary: Evolutionary shifts from bee to vertebrate pollination in tropical mountains may be driven by abiotic environmental conditions that reduce the efficiency of ancestral pollinators. These shifts coincide with high elevations and adaptive floral trait changes, indicating a correlation between mountain climate and pollinator efficiency.
Article
Plant Sciences
Tobias Hayashi, Noushka Reiter, Ryan D. Phillips, Rod Peakall
Summary: This study investigates the pollination process of the Australian orchid Pterostylis cycnocephala and identifies an undescribed Bradysia sp. male fungus gnat as its main pollinator, which displays sexual behavior on the flowers. The study shows that floral odor is primarily responsible for long-range attraction, while floral morphology is necessary to induce the copulatory behavior required for pollination.
BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Hannah C. Butler, Steven D. Johnson
Summary: This study investigated the seed dispersal systems of two South African Scadoxus lilies and found that monkeys are attracted to the ripe fleshy fruits, consuming the flesh and spitting out the seeds. This form of seed dispersal allows seeds to be deposited near the parent plant or carried to distant habitats by monkeys.
Article
Biology
Steven D. Johnson, Keeveshnee Govender
Summary: This study aimed to identify compounds that attract rodents to flowers. The results showed that aliphatic ketones and esters play a key role in attracting rodents.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Evelin Iseli, Chelsea Chisholm, Jonathan Lenoir, Sylvia Haider, Tim Seipel, Agustina Barros, Anna L. Hargreaves, Paul Kardol, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Keith McDougall, Irfan Rashid, Sabine B. Rumpf, Jose Ramon Arevalo, Lohengrin Cavieres, Curtis Daehler, Pervaiz A. Dar, Bryan Endress, Gabi Jakobs, Alejandra Jimenez, Christoph Kueffer, Maritza Mihoc, Ann Milbau, John W. Morgan, Bridgett J. Naylor, Anibal Pauchard, Amanda Ratier Backes, Zafar A. Reshi, Lisa J. Rew, Damiano Righetti, James M. Shannon, Graciela Valencia, Neville Walsh, Genevieve T. Wright, Jake M. Alexander
Summary: High-elevation ecosystems are experiencing an increase in non-native plant species, with an average increase of approximately 16% per decade. The direction and magnitude of range limit shifts depend on elevation, and upward shifts are observed in at least seven regions. This highlights the need to monitor and prevent biosecurity issues in high-elevation ecosystems.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lawrence D. Harder, Steven D. Johnson
Summary: The production of pollen and ovules varies with different mating systems in angiosperms. This study analyzed the associations between pollen-transfer efficiency, pollinator dependence, and differences in pollen and ovule numbers. The results showed that pollen number decreased with pollen-transfer efficiency, while ovule number did not significantly change.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Ella Martin, Anna Lesley Hargreaves
Summary: This study found that seeds germinate faster in higher latitudes, but slower in higher elevations. In drier, more seasonal, and warmer environments, germination is faster. Seed size plays a role in the variation of time-to-germination, but phylogeny does not improve predictions. Overall, time-to-germination is influenced by geography and climate, but patterns are inconsistent and weaker than daily seed predation rates.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Annemarie Heiduk, Irina Brake, Adam Shuttleworth, Steven D. Johnson
Summary: Kleptomyiophily is a specialized form of floral mimicry where flowers imitate wounded insects to attract kleptoparasitic flies as pollinators. In this study, Ceropegia gerrardii was found to chemically mimic injured honey bees to attract kleptoparasitic flies and reward them with a secretion similar to the haemolymph.
Article
Biology
Marie E. Hardouin, Anna L. Hargreaves
Summary: Protecting the habitat of species at risk is crucial for their recovery, but it can be a controversial issue. The assumption that protecting locally imperilled species distracts from protecting globally imperilled species is based on the belief that threatened groups have little spatial overlap, which is rarely quantified.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Hannah C. Butler, Steven D. Johnson
Summary: Most plants rely on animals to ingest their fruits and disperse their seeds, but some plants have fruits with seeds that are too large or toxic to be eaten. In this study, we investigated the seed dispersal of Haemanthus deformis, a lily species found in South Africa. We found that birds and rodents mainly consumed the fruits, removing the pulp and discarding the seeds. Dispersal occurred both within and among bush clumps, with longer distances achieved by birds and scatter-hoarding rodents. Seedling survival was highest in bush clumps with shade being important for survival. Seeds with removed pulp germinated faster than intact seeds. This plant shows directed seed dispersal with birds and rodents contributing to dispersal within favorable bush clumps.
Article
Plant Sciences
S. McCarren, S. D. Johnson, G. L. Theron, A. Coetzee, R. Turner, J. Midgley
Summary: Differences in floral traits might play a role in reproductive isolation between two Erica species in South Africa. The two sister species, Erica shannonea and Erica ampullacea, have overlapping flowering phenology but are pollinated by different species of flies due to differences in flower orientation. Both species require pollinator visits for seed production and are therefore potentially influenced by pollinators in flower evolution.
Article
Plant Sciences
J. C. F. Cardoso, S. D. Johnson, P. E. Oliveira
Summary: In many flowers, resupination plays a crucial role in pollination by positioning the flower upside down, and incomplete resupination is predicted to lead to reduced pollination.
Article
Biology
Steven D. Johnson, Lawrence D. Harder
Summary: The success of flowering plants in reproducing relies heavily on how efficiently pollen is removed from flowers and transferred to conspecific stigmas. This study analyzed pollen fates and their correlates for 228 species, revealing that the efficiency of pollen removal and transfer varied depending on the type of pollen-dispersal unit and the pollinator species involved. Factors such as nectar production also influenced pollen removal efficiency. These findings emphasize the important role of floral traits, particularly pollen packaging, in determining pollen dispersal outcomes and highlight the under-appreciated pollination efficiency of non-grooming pollinators.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Suiane Santos Oleques, Tamara Pastori, Tatiana Teixeira de Souza-Chies, Timotheus van der Niet, Steven D. Johnson, Rubem S. Avila Jr
Summary: Pollination in Tritoniopsis parviflora, a South African species, is studied due to its unique oil-producing ability and secretion of both floral oil and nectar. The research reveals temporal segregation in rewards offered by male and female flowers and suggests that the visits by nectar feeding and pollen-collecting bees may supplement seed production in the absence of oil bees.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Nikki A. Moore, Ignacio Morales-Castilla, Anna L. Hargreaves, Miguel Angel Olalla-Tarraga, Fabricio Villalobos, Piero Calosi, Susana Clusella-Trullas, Juan G. Rubalcaba, Adam C. Algar, Brezo Martinez, Laura Rodriguez, Sarah Gravel, Joanne M. Bennett, Greta C. Vega, Carsten Rahbek, Miguel B. Araujo, Joey R. Bernhardt, Jennifer M. Sunday
Summary: Understanding how temperature affects species' distribution is crucial for assessing their responses to climate change. The study finds that marine species and terrestrial species from the tropics occupy temperatures that closely match their thermal tolerances. However, terrestrial species from temperate and polar latitudes are absent from warm areas that they could potentially occupy, suggesting a trade-off between adaptation to cold environments and abilities to contend in the tropics.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Clara de Vega, Chris J. Thorogood, Rafael G. Albaladejo, Franck Rakotonasolo, Nina Hobbhahn, Florent Martos, Priscilla M. Burgoyne, Steven D. Johnson
PLANTS PEOPLE PLANET
(2023)