Effects of indiscriminate foraging by tropical hummingbirds on pollination and plant reproductive success: experiments with two tropical treelets (Rubiaceae)

Intraspecific floral colour variation in three Pedicularis species

Flower constancy describes the phenomenon that pollinators tend to successively visit flowers of a single species during foraging, reducing reproductive interference in natural communities. The extent of flower constancy is largely determined by the floral traits of co-flowering species. Both higher inter-specific and lower intraspecific differences of floral traits should contribute to a higher level of flower constancy. However, previous studies mainly focused on interspecific difference, and the intraspecific variation (consistency) of floral traits received much less attention. We hypothesise that selection may favour lower intraspecific floral trait variation in communities composed of multiple co-flowering congeners. We investigated the floral colour variation of three focal Pedicularis species that share pollinators in 19 communities composed of either single or multiple Pedicularis species. Colour was quantified using image-based colour analysis as perceived by pollinators. We found that most of the intrapopulation floral colour variation was below the colour discrimination threshold of bumblebees, implying strongly constrained by the visual selection by pollinators. Contrary to the hypothesis, there is no significant difference in intraspecific floral colour variation between different community contexts. It may be due to the relatively large interspecific floral colour differences of most co-flowering species. The influence of community context on intraspecific variation may be reflected in floral traits other than colours.

Floral Color Properties of Serpentine Seep Assemblages Depend on Community Size and Species Richness

Functional traits, particularly those that impact fitness, can shape the ecological and evolutionary relationships among coexisting species of the same trophic level. Thus, examining these traits and properties of their distributions (underdispersion, overdispersion) within communities can provide insights into key ecological interactions (e.g., competition, facilitation) involved in community assembly. For instance, the distribution of floral colors in a community may reflect pollinator-mediated interactions between sympatric plant species, and the phylogenetic distribution of color can inform how evolutionary contingencies can continue to shape extant community assemblages. Additionally, the abundance and species richness of the local habitat may influence the type or strength of ecological interactions among co-occurring species. To evaluate the impact of community size and species richness on mechanisms shaping the distribution of ecologically relevant traits, we examined how floral color (defined by pollinator color vision models) is distributed within co-flowering assemblages. We modeled floral reflectance spectra of 55 co-flowering species using honeybee (Apis mellifera) and syrphid fly (Eristalis tenax) visual systems to assess the distributions of flower color across 14 serpentine seep communities in California. We found that phylogenetic relatedness had little impact on the observed color assemblages. However, smaller seep communities with lower species richness were more overdispersed for flower color than larger, more species-rich communities. Results support that competitive exclusion could be a dominant process shaping the species richness of flower color in smaller-sized communities with lower species richness, but this is less detectable or overwhelmed by other processes at larger, more speciose communities.

Field evidence of strong differential pollen placement by Old World bat-pollinated plants

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Sympatric plant species that share pollinators potentially compete for pollination and risk interspecific pollen transfer, but this competition can be minimized when plant species place pollen on different areas of the pollinator's body. Multiple studies have demonstrated strong differential pollen placement by sympatric plant species under laboratory conditions; however, field evidence collected in natural settings is less common. Furthermore, it is unknown whether precise pollen placement on the pollinator's body remains constant throughout the foraging period, or if such patterns become diffused over time (e.g. due to grooming). To test the prevalence of differential pollen placement in the wild, we examined a community of five night-blooming plant species in southern Thailand that share common bat pollinators.

METHODS

We mist-netted wild foraging nectar bats and collected pollen samples from four body parts: the crown of the head, face, chest and ventral side of one wing. We also noted the time of pollen collection to assess how pollinator pollen loads change throughout the foraging period.

KEY RESULTS

Our findings revealed that most of our plant study species placed pollen on precise areas of the bat, consistent with experimental work, and that patterns of differential pollen placement remained constant throughout the night.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates how diverse floral morphologies effectively limit interspecific pollen transfer among Old World bat-pollinated plants under natural conditions. Additionally, interspecific pollen transfer is probably minimal throughout the entire foraging period, since patterns of pollen on the bats' bodies were consistent over time.

Heterospecific pollen deposition among plants sharing hummingbird pollinators in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract Hummingbirds are the most important group of pollinating birds in the Neotropics and tend to use, concomitantly, more than one plant species as food source. Pollen may be mixed on hummingbirds' body due to the visits to different plant species; therefore, these birds may promote heterospecific pollen deposition (HPD). The hummingbirds potential to promote HPD, the occurrence of HPD and its implications in plant reproduction are scarcely known in the Atlantic Forest. We have studied the transport of pollen by three hummingbird species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We have also checked the actual HPD occurrence under natural conditions in two plant species, namely Canistropsis seidelii and Psychotria nuda. Moreover, we investigated Nidularium innocentii reproductive system evaluating the effect of HPD on its reproduction by simulating a pollen mixture pollination. We found hummingbirds transporting heterospecific pollen mixtures on their bodies, which in turn were deposited onto stigmas of different species. We have also found that mixed pollen deposition had negative effect on the fitness of N. innocentii. We conclude that hummingbirds carry pollen mixtures at the same body parts, leading to potential HPD at the community level. Moreover, hummingbird-plant communities in the Atlantic Rainforest show remarkable similarities in temporal organization and interaction pattern. This suggests that HPD may be a widespread phenomena in these communities.

Heterospecific pollen deposition: does diversity alter the consequences?

• In natural communities, plants can receive pollen from multiple heterospecifics as well as conspecifics. However, studies on the effects of interspecific pollen transfer have focused on interactions between species pairs. The potential exists for diverse interactions among heterospecific pollen (HP) grains on the stigma, and for these to affect plant reproduction, alone or in combination with conspecific pollen (CP) loss, but these interactions have not yet been explored. • We used hand-pollinations to simulate increasing community diversity and CP loss on Mimulus guttatus stigmas. We used pollen mixes of one to three heterospecific donors to determine how species composition and CP load size affect seed production and to characterize the mechanisms underlying fertilization failure. • Heterospecific pollen deposition reduced M. guttatus seed production and while the effect increased with the number of heterospecific donors, the strength depended on species composition and was independent of conspecific load size. Different types of interactions (additive and synergistic) are hypothesized to underlie the diverse effects on M. guttatus reproductive success. • Our results suggest that an increase in the diversity of heterospecific donors will not always lead to a greater decrease in fitness because multispecies effects depend on the interacting species.

Increased relative abundance of an invasive competitor for pollination, Lythrum salicaria, reduces seed number in Mimulus ringens

When exotic plant species share pollinators with native species, competition for pollination may lower the reproductive success of natives by reducing the frequency and/or quality of visits they receive. Exotic species often become numerically dominant in plant communities, and the relative abundance of these potential competitors for pollination may be an important determinant of their effects on the pollination and reproductive success of co-occurring native species. Our study experimentally tests whether the presence and abundance of an invasive exotic, Lythrum salicaria L. (Lythraceae), influences reproductive success of a co-flowering native species, Mimulus ringens L. (Phrymaceae). We also examine the mechanisms of competition for pollination and how they may be altered by changes in competitor abundance. We found that the presence of Lythrum salicaria lowered mean seed number in Mimulus ringens fruits. This effect was most pronounced when the invasive competitor was highly abundant, decreasing the number of seeds per fruit by 40% in 2006 and 33% in 2007. Reductions in the number of seeds per fruit were likely due to reduced visit quality resulting from Mimulus pollen loss when bees foraged on neighboring Lythrum plants. This study suggests that visit quality to natives may be influenced by the presence and abundance of invasive flowering plants.

New frontiers in competition for pollination

BACKGROUND

Co-flowering plant species frequently share pollinators. Pollinator sharing is often detrimental to one or more of these species, leading to competition for pollination. Perhaps because it offers an intriguing juxtaposition of ecological opposites - mutualism and competition - within one relatively tractable system, competition for pollination has captured the interest of ecologists for over a century.

SCOPE

Our intent is to contemplate exciting areas for further work on competition for pollination, rather than to exhaustively review past studies. After a brief historical summary, we present a conceptual framework that incorporates many aspects of competition for pollination, involving both the quantity and quality of pollination services, and both female and male sex functions of flowers. Using this framework, we contemplate a relatively subtle mechanism of competition involving pollen loss, and consider how competition might affect plant mating systems, overall reproductive success and multi-species interactions. We next consider how competition for pollination might be altered by several emerging consequences of a changing planet, including the spread of alien species, climate change and pollinator declines. Most of these topics represent new frontiers whose exploration has just begun.

CONCLUSIONS

Competition for pollination has served as a model for the integration of ecological and evolutionary perspectives in the study of species interactions. Its study has elucidated both obvious and more subtle mechanisms, and has documented a range of outcomes. However, the potential for this interaction to inform our understanding of both pure and applied aspects of pollination biology has only begun to be realized.

Interspecific pollinator movements reduce pollen deposition and seed production in Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae)

Movement of pollinators between coflowering plant species may influence conspecific pollen deposition and seed set. Interspecific pollinator movements between native and showy invasive plants may be particularly detrimental to the pollination and reproductive success of native species. We explored the effects of invasive Lythrum salicaria on the reproductive success of Mimulus ringens, a wetland plant native to eastern North America. Pollinator flights between these species significantly reduced the amount of conspecific pollen deposited on Mimulus stigmas and the number of seeds in Mimulus fruits, suggesting that pollen loss is an important mechanism of competition for pollination. Although pollen loss is often attributed to pollen wastage on heterospecific floral structures, our novel findings suggest that grooming by bees as they forage on a competitor may also significantly reduce outcross pollen export and seed set in Mimulus ringens.

Reproductive ecology of distylous Palicourea Padifolia (Rubiaceae) in a tropical montane cloud forest. I. Hummingbirds' effectiveness as pollen vectors

The adaptiveness of distyly has been typically investigated in terms of its female function, specifically pollen receipt. However, pollen loads on stigmas can only provide moderate support for Darwin's hypothesis of the promotion of legitimate crosses. To determine the effectiveness of hummingbirds as pollen vectors between floral morphs and the consequences in terms of male (pollen transfer) and female function (pollen receipt) in Palicourea padifolia (Rubiaceae), floral visitors, their foraging modes, and temporal patterns of floral visitation were observed and documented. Differences in pollen and stigma morphology, pollen flow, rates of pollen deposition, and/or stigmatic pollen loads were then evaluated for their contribution toward differences in reproductive output between floral morphs. A pollination experiment with stuffed hummingbirds that varied in bill size was done to evaluate the contribution of bill variation toward differences between floral morphs in pollen receipt and pollen transfer and female reproductive output. Anthers of long-styled flowers contained significantly more and smaller pollen grains than those of short-styled flowers, independently of corolla and anther lengths. The shape and orientation of the stigma lobes differed between morphs and were significantly longer among short-styled flowers. Hummingbird visitation rates did not differ significantly between floral morphs, and foraging movements from focal plants towards neighboring plants were independent of floral morph. Stigmatic pollen loads under field conditions and those after controlled hummingbird visitation, along with rates of pollen accumulation through the day indicated that stigmas of short-styled flowers receive proportionately more legitimate (intermorph) pollen grains than did those of long-styled flowers. However, the species of hummingbird was marginally significant in explaining variation in pollen deposition on stigmas. Lastly, intermorph pollinations of P. padifolia resulted in significant differences in fruit production between floral morphs, independent of pollination treatment and pollinator species; short-styled flowers proportionately developed almost twice the number of fruits developed by long-styled flowers.

Interspecific pollen transfer as a mechanism of competition: effect of Castilleja linariaefolia pollen on seed set of Ipomopsis aggregata

We investigated whether the deposition of Castilleja linariaefolia (Pursh) V. Grant pollen on flowers of Ipomopsis aggregata (Benth.) in DC. reduced I. aggregata's seed set. Ipomopsis flowers were hand-pollinated with either pure conspecific pollen (the control) or with C. linariaefolia pollen applied prior to, simultaneously with, or following conspecific pollen. Flowers that were simultaneously given C. linariaefolia and I. aggregata pollen received 39% less conspecific pollen than flowers in the control, but did not set fewer seeds per fruit. Flowers that were given C. linariaefolia pollen first received 30% less conspecific pollen and set 38% fewer seeds per fruit than the control. These results suggest that there is a priority effect; deposition of C. linariaefolia pollen on I. aggregata flowers results in competition, but only when C. linariaefolia pollen is deposited first. Unlike pollen of another competitor of I. aggregata (Delphinium nelsonii Greene. Per.), C. linariaefolia pollen caused competition without inducing an increased rate of stigma closure. Only 12% of I. aggregata's stigmas closed when C. linariaefolia pollen was deposited, and seed set of I. aggregata was reduced relative to the control whether their stigmas closed or not. The low rate at which C. linariaefolia pollen induces closure of I. aggregata's stigmas could be an adaptation to reduce the negative effects of competition.Key words: Castilleja linariaefolia, competition, hand pollination, hummingbirds, Ipomopsis aggregata, pollination.

Plant size, geitonogamy and seed set in Ipomopsis aggregata

We used powdered fluorescent dyes to estimate receipt of self vs. outcross pollen in the self-incompatible species Ipomopsis aggregata (Polemoniaceae). Flowers on small and large plants received equal amounts of outcross pollen, whereas flowers on large plants received more self pollen, so the proportion of self pollen delivered through geitonogamy increased with plant size. In natural populations emasculation of all flowers on a plant raised average seed set per flower from 5.19 to 6.99 and also raised fruit set, though not significantly. From these results one expects a negative correlation between plant size and seeds per flower. The opposite trend was observed in a sample of plants in the field, suggesting that deleterious effects of geitonogamy on female fecundity in large plants can be overruled by other factors such as size-related fruit or seed abortion. Results are discussed in relation to the evolution of gynodioecy.

Interspecific pollen transfer as a mechanism of competition: Consequences of foreign pollen contamination for seed set in the alpine wildflower, Polemonium viscosum

Earlier studies showed that under natural conditions foreign pollen receipt is correlated with loss of seed set in populations of P. viscosum. Here, we report on experimental pollinations using foreign pollen from two co-flowering species that share pollinators with P. viscosum. Experiments were designed to ascertain whether improper pollen transfer causes reduced seed set under controlled conditions and, if so, to determine the stage at which interference occurs. In flowers pre-treated by pollination with either Mertensia or Castilleja pollen, adherence of subsequently deposited conspecific pollen grains was unaffected. However, conspecific grains had significantly lower germination and ovule fertilization success in flowers receiving foreign pollen than in controls. These results suggest that pollinator infidelity in high alpine plant communities can reduce female reproductive success of P. viscosum by inhibiting the performance of conspecific pollen grains. Negative effects of Mertensia and Castilleja pollen were comparable despite large interspecific differences in pollen grain morphology. Accordingly, susceptibility to foreign pollen interference appears to be an intrinsic property of P. viscosum that is not dependent on the unique structural properties of pollen produced by competitive species.