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Albuquerque-Lima S, Domingos-Melo A, Milet-Pinheiro P, Navarro DMDOAF, Taylor NP, Zappi DC, Machado IC. The iconic cactus of the Caatinga dry forest, Cereus jamacaru (Cactaceae) has high sphingophily specialization and pollinator dependence. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2023; 95:e20220460. [PMID: 37646712 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202320220460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cereus jamacaru is a cactus distributed in Northeastern Brazil, with high symbolic value to this region. However, the interaction, behavior and the role of pollinators remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the reproductive biology, addressing the ecological significance of floral attributes, including details about floral signaling. The study was carried at three areas of the Caatinga, in 2015, 2017 and 2021. We analyzed the floral morphometry, volume and concentration of the nectar, and characterized the colour and scent of flowers. Additionally, we described the pollinator behavior and performed controlled pollination experiments. The 'Mandacaru' is self-incompatible, has nocturnal anthesis and the nectar is accumulated as droplets in a long hypanthial tube. The flowers have a reflective pattern with a dark outer surface and a white inner surface. (E)-nerolidol is the major component (87.4%) of its floral perfume. We registered the sphingid moth Cocytius antaeus visiting the flowers. The floral attributes, attractants and rewards drives to a sphingophily, and the pollination treatments showed the dependence to fruit set by C. antaeus, the pollinator registered. In this case, if the apparent lack of pollinator diversity encompasses its entire range, the loss of the hawkmoth could severely impact the reproductive success of the cactus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinzinando Albuquerque-Lima
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Botânica, Laboratório de Biologia Floral e Reprodutiva - POLINIZAR, Avenida Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Arthur Domingos-Melo
- Universidade de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Ecologia, Campus Petrolina, Rodovia BR 203, Km 2, s/n, Vila Eduardo, 56328-900 Petrolina, PE, Brazil
| | - Paulo Milet-Pinheiro
- Universidade de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Ecologia, Campus Petrolina, Rodovia BR 203, Km 2, s/n, Vila Eduardo, 56328-900 Petrolina, PE, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Química Fundamental, Laboratório de Ecologia Química, Avenida Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Daniela Maria DO Amaral Ferraz Navarro
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Química Fundamental, Laboratório de Ecologia Química, Avenida Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Nigel P Taylor
- University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Botanic Gardens Campus, 'The Alameda', Red Sands Road, PO Box 843, Gibraltar GX11 1AA
| | - Daniela C Zappi
- Universidade de Brasília, Secretaria da Coordenação de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Caixa Postal 04457, 70919-970 Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Isabel C Machado
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Botânica, Laboratório de Biologia Floral e Reprodutiva - POLINIZAR, Avenida Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
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Becker R, Báez OP, Singer RF, Singer RB. Contrasting Pollination Strategies and Breeding Systems in Two Native Useful Cacti from Southern Brazil. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1298. [PMID: 36986986 PMCID: PMC10053946 DOI: 10.3390/plants12061298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Brazil is one of the centers of diversity of Cactaceae, yet studies addressing both pollination biology and the breeding system in Brazilian cacti are scarce. We herein present a detailed analysis of two native species with economic relevance: Cereus hildmannianus and Pereskia aculeata. The first species produce edible, sweet, spineless fruits and the second species produces leaves with high protein content. Pollination studies were undertaken through fieldwork observations in three localities of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, over two flowering seasons, totaling over 130 observation hours. Breeding systems were elucidated utilizing controlled pollinations. Cereus hildmannianus is solely pollinated by nectar-gathering species of Sphingidae hawk moths. In contrast, the flowers of P. aculeata are pollinated by predominantly native Hymenoptera but also by Coleoptera and Diptera, which gather pollen and/or nectar. Both cacti species are pollinator-dependent; neither intact nor emasculated flowers turn into fruit, yet whereas C. hildmannianus is self-incompatible, P. aculeata is fully self-compatible. In sum, C. hildmannianus is more restrictive and specialized regarding its pollination and breeding system, whereas P. aculeata is more generalist. Understanding the pollination needs of these species is a necessary starting point towards their conservation but also for their proper management and eventual domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Becker
- Laboratory of Systematics of Vascular Plants, Postgraduate Program in Botany, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 91509-900, RS, Brazil
| | - Oscar Perdomo Báez
- Laboratory of Systematics of Vascular Plants, Postgraduate Program in Botany, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 91509-900, RS, Brazil
| | - Rosana Farias Singer
- Porto Alegre Botanical Garden, Secretaria do Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90119-900, RS, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Bustos Singer
- Laboratory of Systematics of Vascular Plants, Postgraduate Program in Botany, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 91509-900, RS, Brazil
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Gorostiague P, Ollerton J, Ortega-Baes P. Latitudinal gradients in biotic interactions: Are cacti pollination systems more specialized in the tropics? PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2023; 25:187-197. [PMID: 35751486 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13450] [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: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Biotic interactions are said to be more specialized in the tropics, and this was also proposed for the pollination systems of columnar cacti from North America. However, this has not yet been tested for a wider set of cactus species. Here, we use the available information about pollination in the Cactaceae to explore the geographic patterns of this mutualistic interaction, and test if there is a latitudinal gradient in its degree of specialization. We performed a bibliographic search of all publications on the pollination of cacti species and summarized the information to build a database. We used generalized linear models to evaluate if the degree of specialization in cacti pollination systems is affected by latitude, using two different measures: the number of pollinator guilds (functional specialization) and the number of pollinator species (ecological specialization). Our database contained information about the pollination of 148 species. The most frequent pollinator guilds were bees, birds, moths and bats. There was no apparent effect of latitude on the number of guilds that pollinate a cactus species. However, latitude had a small but significant effect on the number of pollinator species that service a given cactus species. Bees are found as pollinators of most cactus species, along a wide latitudinal gradient. Bat and bird pollination is more common in the tropics than in the extra-tropics. The available information suggests that cacti pollination systems are slightly more ecologically specialized in the tropics, but it does not support any trend with regard to functional specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Gorostiague
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Botánicas (LABIBO), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Argentina
- Faculty of Arts, Science & Technology, University of Northampton, University Drive, Northampton, UK
| | - J Ollerton
- Faculty of Arts, Science & Technology, University of Northampton, University Drive, Northampton, UK
| | - P Ortega-Baes
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Botánicas (LABIBO), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Argentina
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González VV, Gorostiague P, Ortega-Baes P, Galati BG, Ferrucci MS. Nectary structure is not related to pollination system in Trichocereeae cactus from Northwest Argentina. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20201401. [PMID: 34909820 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120201401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Floral nectaries are essential for plant reproduction but little is known about the relationship between these secretory structures and pollination system in cacti. To test phenotypic patterns in nectaries associated with pollination syndromes and/or with its pollinators, we selected from evolutionarily related genera Cleistocactus, Denmoza, and Echinopsis, a set of species with bird-pollinated flowers and floral traits that may fit with ornithophily or with sphingophily, and other set of sphingophilous species with moths as effective pollinator. Observations were made under light microscope and scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Nectaries are located at the base of the filaments welded to the tube, forming a chamber. The nectary consists of the epidermis with distinctive features in each genus, a secretory parenchyma which may be vascularized and a non-secretory vascularized parenchyma. Anatomical variants observed in nectaries of different species are not consistent with the floral pollination syndromes neither with groups of pollinators. The basic structure of the nectar chamber is relatively conserved, a fact that may be explained by phylogenetic conservatism among the genera investigated. Our results revalue the role of anatomical traits for the systematics of Cactaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria V González
- Universidad Nacional del Nordeste/CONICET, Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (IBONE), Sargento Juan Bautista Cabral 2131, W3402BKG, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Pablo Gorostiague
- Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Laboratorio de Investigaciones Botánicas (LABIBO), Av. Bolivia 5150, A4400, Salta, Argentina
| | - Pablo Ortega-Baes
- Universidad Nacional de Salta/CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Laboratorio de Investigaciones Botánicas (LABIBO), Av. Bolivia 5150, A4400, Salta, Argentina
| | - Beatriz G Galati
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Depto. de Recursos Naturales y Ambiente, Cátedra de Botánica General, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María S Ferrucci
- Universidad Nacional del Nordeste/CONICET, Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (IBONE), Sargento Juan Bautista Cabral 2131, W3402BKG, Corrientes, Argentina
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Does pollination syndrome reflect pollinator efficiency in Silene nutans? ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Liu CQ, Gao YD, Niu Y, Xiong YZ, Sun H. Floral adaptations of two lilies: implications for the evolution and pollination ecology of huge trumpet-shaped flowers. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:622-632. [PMID: 31022316 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Evolutionary transitions among floral morphologies, many of which provide evidence for adaptation to novel pollinators, are common. Some trumpet-shaped flowers are among the largest flowers in angiosperms, occurring in different lineages. Our goal was to investigate the role of pollinators in the evolution of these flowers using Lilium. METHODS We investigated floral traits and pollinators of L. primulinum var. ochraceum and L. brownii var. viridulum and reviewed reports of visitors to huge trumpet-shaped flowers. Using a published phylogeny of Lilium, we reconstructed ancestral floral morphological states in Lilium to elucidate the origins of trumpet-shaped lilies. RESULTS Both lilies are largely self-incompatible and show floral syndromes indicative of hawkmoth pollination. The short trumpet-shaped lily can be pollinated by short-tongued (<40 mm) but not long-tongued hawkmoths (>65 mm), while the huge trumpet-shaped lily can be pollinated by both. A literature review including 22 species of trumpet-shaped flowers suggests that their pollinator guilds commonly include both short- and long-tongued moths. A phylogenetic reconstruction indicates that trumpet-shaped lilies possibly have multiple origins from tepal-reflexed ancestors, at least six of which have evolved huge flowers (>50 mm). CONCLUSIONS Adaptation to short-tongued hawkmoths may have initiated the evolution of trumpet-shaped lilies. Huge trumpet-shaped lilies may have evolved as a response to selection by long-tongued hawkmoths, without excluding the short-tongued ones. This evolutionary pathway leads to a functionally more generalized pollination system instead of an increasingly specialized one and is not necessarily associated with pollinator shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Qiu Liu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
| | - Yun-Dong Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yang Niu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
| | - Ying-Ze Xiong
- School of Life Sciences, China Central Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
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Arzabe AA, Aguirre LF, Baldelomar MP, Molina-Montenegro MA. Assessing the geographic dichotomy hypothesis with cacti in South America. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2018; 20:399-402. [PMID: 29156089 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The Cactaceae is one of the most conspicuous and ecologically important plant families in the world. Its species may have specialist or generalist pollination systems that show geographic patterns, which are synthesised in the Geographic Dichotomy Hypothesis. Here, we assess this hypothesis in five countries in both tropical and extratropical regions, evaluating the pollinator visitation rate and pollinator identity and abundance. We calculate the Shannon diversity index (H') and evenness (J) and evaluate differences between latitude parameters with a Student t-test. Overall, we found more specialised pollination systems in all tropical sites; the richness, diversity and evenness of pollinators was reduced in comparison to extratropical regions, where the pollination system was generalised. Our results support the geographic dichotomy hypothesis in the cacti of South America, suggesting that environmental factors underlying the latitudinal patterns can help to explain differences in the pollination syndrome between tropical and extratropical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Arzabe
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Genética, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia
- Laboratorio de Conservación Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
| | - L F Aguirre
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Genética, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - M P Baldelomar
- Centro de Ecología Molecular y Funcional, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - M A Molina-Montenegro
- Centro de Ecología Molecular y Funcional, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
- Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
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Ferreira BHS, Gomes AC, Souza CS, Fabri JR, Sigrist MR. Pollination and reproductive system of synchronopatric species of Cactaceae (Cactoideae) subject to interspecific flow of pollen: an example of ecological adaptation in the Brazilian Chaco. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2018; 20:101-112. [PMID: 28977737 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Three synchronopatric Cactaceae species, Echinopsis rhodotricha, Harrisia balansae and Praecereus saxicola, have mostly nocturnal anthesis and similar flowers, characteristics that motivated us to perform a comparative study of reproductive ecology. Reproductive phenology was sampled monthly from December 2014 to November 2015. We describe floral biology, breeding system via pollination treatments and evaluate floral visitors from focal and filming observations. Pollen grains found on moth proboscis were compared among cactus species under light microscopy. We used fluorescent dye particles to test intra- and interspecific pollen flow. These three species have extended flowering with greater intensity in the wet season, causing high overlap. They have white and hypocrateriformis flowers that open at twilight or nightfall and last about 15 h. H. balansae seems to be self-incompatible, while E. rhodotricha presented self-compatibility. P. saxicola presented self-fertility, but most of the population seems to be self-incompatible. We suggest sphingophily for the three species, but only P. saxicola was visited by Manduca rustica (Sphingidae). However, we observed pollen grains of all three species on the proboscis of moths, especially M. rustica and M. sexta. Prolonged anthesis allowed bees (herein considered as secondary pollinators) to visit flowers of E. rhodotricha and P. saxicola. It can be concluded that the studied species share nocturnal and diurnal pollinators, suggesting interspecific pollen flow, which, however, could not be detected with fluorescent dye particles. In view of the low frequency of primary pollinators, it appears that these three species have different reproductive strategies, ensuring the fruiting and production of viable seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- B H S Ferreira
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - A C Gomes
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - C S Souza
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - J R Fabri
- Laboratório de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - M R Sigrist
- Laboratório de Polinização, Reprodução e Fenologia de Plantas, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
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Gorostiague P, Ortega-Baes P. How specialised is bird pollination in the Cactaceae? PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2016; 18:63-72. [PMID: 25545418 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Many cactus species produce 'bird' flowers; however, the reproductive biology of the majority of these species has not been studied. Here, we report on a study of the pollination of two species from the Cleistocactus genus, cited as an ornithophilous genus, in the context of the different ways in which they are specialised to bird pollination. In addition, we re-evaluate the level of specialisation of previous studies of cacti with bird pollination and evaluate how common phenotypic specialisation to birds is in this family. Both Cleistocactus species exhibited ornithophilous floral traits. Cleistocactus baumannii was pollinated by hummingbirds, whereas Cleistocactus smaragdiflorus was pollinated by hummingbirds and bees. Pollination by birds has been recorded in 27 cactus species, many of which exhibit ornithophilous traits; however, they show generalised pollination systems with bees, bats or moths in addition to birds being their floral visitors. Of all cactus species, 27% have reddish flowers. This trait is associated with diurnal anthesis and a tubular shape. Phenotypic specialisation to bird pollination is recognised in many cactus species; however, it is not predictive of functional and ecological specialisation in this family.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Gorostiague
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Botánicas (LABIBO), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Argentina
| | - P Ortega-Baes
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Botánicas (LABIBO), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta-CONICET, Salta, Argentina
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Figueroa-Castro DM, Valverde PL, Vite F, Carrillo-Ruiz H. Spatial variation in the community of insects associated with the flowers of Pachycereus weberi (Caryophyllales: Cactaceae). ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2014; 43:889-895. [PMID: 25003959 DOI: 10.1603/en13232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The positive relationship between productivity and species diversity is well-known. Insect communities associated with the flowers of Cactaceae species represent an interesting system to explore the productivity-diversity relationship because branches facing the equator receive more photosynthetically active radiation and have higher productivity. Thus, flowers with contrasting orientations within an individual, and even within a single branch, might differ in productivity. Therefore, higher abundance, species richness, and diversity are expected for the insect communities associated with south-facing flowers. This hypothesis was tested in Pachycereus weberi (J.M. Coulter) Backeberg (Cactaceae). Insects within flowers with contrasting orientations were collected and its abundance, richness, and diversity were estimated. We also asked if insects prefer big flowers. Thus, flower volume was estimated and regression analyses were conducted to test if there is a positive relationship between flower size and insect abundance. Flower orientation did not affect species richness. However, species abundance and diversity were different in flowers with contrasting orientations. In general, species abundance was higher in flowers facing southwards than in north-facing flowers. On the contrary, species diversity was higher in north-facing flowers. Abundance of Coleoptera was explained by flower volume in south-facing flowers. Contrary to our hypothesis, total diversity was greater in the less productive oriented flowers. Three possible explanations are discussed to explain the low diversity found in the highly productive, south-facing flowers. Our study provides evidence for the effects of productivity on the structure of insect communities at a very small-scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulce María Figueroa-Castro
- Escuela de Biología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla; Blvd. Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio, Edif. 112-A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, C.P. 72570, Puebla, México
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Aguilar-Rodríguez PA, MacSwiney G. MC, Krömer T, García-Franco JG, Knauer A, Kessler M. First record of bat-pollination in the species-rich genus Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae). ANNALS OF BOTANY 2014; 113:1047-55. [PMID: 24651370 PMCID: PMC3997647 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcu031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2013] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Bromeliaceae is a species-rich neotropical plant family that uses a variety of pollinators, principally vertebrates. Tillandsia is the most diverse genus, and includes more than one-third of all bromeliad species. Within this genus, the majority of species rely on diurnal pollination by hummingbirds; however, the flowers of some Tillandsia species show some characteristics typical for pollination by nocturnal animals, particularly bats and moths. In this study an examination is made of the floral and reproductive biology of the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsia macropetala in a fragment of humid montane forest in central Veracruz, Mexico. METHODS The reproductive system of the species, duration of anthesis, production of nectar and floral scent, as well as diurnal and nocturnal floral visitors and their effectiveness in pollination were determined. KEY RESULTS Tillandsia macropetala is a self-compatible species that achieves a higher fruit production through outcrossing. Nectar production is restricted to the night, and only nocturnal visits result in the development of fruits. The most frequent visitor (75 % of visits) and the only pollinator of this bromeliad (in 96 % of visits) was the nectarivorous bat Anoura geoffroyi (Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae). CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of chiropterophily within the genus Tillandsia. The results on the pollination biology of this bromeliad suggest an ongoing evolutionary switch from pollination by birds or moths to bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Adrián Aguilar-Rodríguez
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Casco de la ExHacienda Lucas Martín, Privada de Araucarias S/N. Col. Periodistas, C.P. 91019, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - M. Cristina MacSwiney G.
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Casco de la ExHacienda Lucas Martín, Privada de Araucarias S/N. Col. Periodistas, C.P. 91019, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Thorsten Krömer
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, Universidad Veracruzana, Casco de la ExHacienda Lucas Martín, Privada de Araucarias S/N. Col. Periodistas, C.P. 91019, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - José G. García-Franco
- Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera antigua a Coatepec No. 351, El Haya, C.P. 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, México
| | - Anina Knauer
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kessler
- Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
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Amorim FW, Galetto L, Sazima M. Beyond the pollination syndrome: nectar ecology and the role of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators in the reproductive success of Inga sessilis (Fabaceae). PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2013; 15:317-27. [PMID: 22823072 DOI: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00643.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Inga species present brush-type flower morphology allowing them to be visited by distinct groups of pollinators. Nectar features in relation to the main pollinators have seldom been studied in this genus. To test the hypothesis of floral adaptation to both diurnal and nocturnal pollinators, we studied the pollination ecology of Inga sessilis, with emphasis on the nectar secretion patterns, effects of sequential removals on nectar production, sugar composition and the role of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators in its reproductive success. Inga sessilis is self-incompatible and pollinated by hummingbirds, hawkmoths and bats. Fruit set under natural conditions is very low despite the fact that most stigmas receive polyads with sufficient pollen to fertilise all ovules in a flower. Nectar secretion starts in the bud stage and flowers continually secreting nectar for a period of 8 h. Flowers actively reabsorbed the nectar a few hours before senescence. Sugar production increased after nectar removal, especially when flowers were drained during the night. Nectar sugar composition changed over flower life span, from sucrose-dominant (just after flower opening, when hummingbirds were the main visitors) to hexose-rich (throughout the night, when bats and hawkmoths were the main visitors). Diurnal pollinators contributed less than nocturnal ones to fruit production, but the former were more constant and reliable visitors through time. Our results indicate I. sessilis has floral adaptations, beyond the morphology, that encompass both diurnal and nocturnal pollinator requirements, suggesting a complementary and mixed pollination system.
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Affiliation(s)
- F W Amorim
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Schlumpberger BO, Renner SS. Molecular phylogenetics of Echinopsis (Cactaceae): Polyphyly at all levels and convergent evolution of pollination modes and growth forms. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2012; 99:1335-49. [PMID: 22859654 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1100288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY In its current circumscription, Echinopsis with 100-150 species is one of the largest and morphologically most diverse genera of Cactaceae. This diversity and an absence of correlated characters have resulted in numerous attempts to subdivide Echinopsis into more homogeneous subgroups. To infer natural species groups in this alliance, we here provide a plastid phylogeny and use it to infer changes in growth form, pollination mode, and ploidy level. METHODS We sequenced 3800 nucleotides of chloroplast DNA from 162 plants representing 144 species and subspecies. The sample includes the type species of all genera close to, or included in, Echinopsis as well as a dense sample of other genera of the Trichocereeae and further outgroups. New and published chromosome counts were compiled and traced on the phylogeny, as were pollination modes and growth habits. KEY RESULTS A maximum likelihood phylogeny confirms that Echinopsis s.l. is not monophyletic nor are any of the previously recognized genera that have more than one species. Pollination mode and, to a lesser extent, growth habit are evolutionarily labile, and diploidy is the rule in Echinopsis s.l., with the few polyploids clustered in just a few clades. CONCLUSIONS The use of evolutionary labile floral traits and growth habit has led to nonnatural classifications. Taxonomic realignments are required, but further study of less evolutionary labile traits suitable for circumscribing genera are needed. Surprisingly, polyploidy seems infrequent in the Echinopsis alliance and hybridization may thus be of minor relevance in the evolution of this clade.
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Ayasse M, Arroyo J. Pollination and plant reproductive biology. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2011; 13 Suppl 1:1-6. [PMID: 21134081 DOI: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2010.00414.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
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