Reproductive system of a mixed-mating plant responds to climate perturbation by increased selfing

How plants respond to climatic perturbations, which are forecasted to increase in frequency and intensity, is difficult to predict because of the buffering effects of plasticity. Compensatory adjustments may maintain fecundity and recruitment, or delay negative changes that are inevitable but not immediately evident. We imposed a climate perturbation of warming and drought on a mixed-mating perennial violet, testing for adjustments in growth, reproduction and mortality. We observed several plasticity-based buffering responses, such that the climatic perturbation did not alter population structure. The most substantial reproductive adjustments, however, involved selfing, with a 45% increase in self-pollination by chasmogamous flowers, a 61% increase in the number of cleistogamous flowers that produced at least one fruit and an overall 15% increase in fruit production from selfed cleistogamous flowers. Reproductive assurance thus compensated for environmental change, including low pollinator visitation that occurred independently of our climate treatment. There was also no immediate evidence for inbreeding depression. Our work indicates that plants with vegetative and reproductive flexibility may not be immediately and negatively affected by a climatic perturbation. The stabilizing effects of these reproductive responses in the long term, however, may depend on the implications of significantly elevated levels of selfing.     

A global quantitative synthesis of local and landscape effects on wild bee pollinators in agroecosystems

Bees provide essential pollination services that are potentially affected both by local farm management and the surrounding landscape. To better understand these different factors, we modelled the relative effects of landscape composition (nesting and floral resources within foraging distances), landscape configuration (patch shape, interpatch connectivity and habitat aggregation) and farm management (organic vs. conventional and local‐scale field diversity), and their interactions, on wild bee abundance and richness for 39 crop systems globally. Bee abundance and richness were higher in diversified and organic fields and in landscapes comprising more high‐quality habitats; bee richness on conventional fields with low diversity benefited most from high‐quality surrounding land cover. Landscape configuration effects were weak. Bee responses varied slightly by biome. Our synthesis reveals that pollinator persistence will depend on both the maintenance of high‐quality habitats around farms and on local management practices that may offset impacts of intensive monoculture agriculture.     

Hedgerows surrounding organic apple orchards in north‐west Spain: potential to conserve beneficial insects

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Buzz pollination in eight bumblebee-pollinated Pedicularis species: does it involve vibration-induced triboelectric charging of pollen grains?

MethodsEight sympatric buzz-pollinated species of Pedicularis that share bumblebee pollinator species were studied, giving a rare opportunity to compare sonication behaviour of a shared pollinator on different plant species.ConclusionsSonication behaviour of B. friseanus differs among Pedicularis species, not only because worker bees assort themselves among plant species by body size, but also because bees of a given size adjust the buzz frequency to achieve a vibration velocity corresponding to the floral traits of each plant species. These findings, and the floral traits that characterize these and other buzz-pollinated species, are compatible with the hypothesis of vibration-induced triboelectric charging of pollen grains.     

花部特征演化的最有效传粉者原则:证据与疑问

自然界千姿百态的花是如何演化而来?前人曾提出花部特征是由当地最频繁的、最有效的传粉者所塑造的观点,但是吸引传粉者的特征也可能吸引植物的敌人——植食动物。花的特征与其他特征一样也经受着环境因子的选择作用。论述了支持花部特征演化的最有效传粉者原则的证据,该原则受到质疑的论点;再从植食作用、环境、传粉后的选择等方面,就花部特征选择的生态因子,列举了一些前人和作者提出的证据,以及需要深入研究的问题。     

Patterns of pollen removal and deposition in Polemonium brandegeei (Polemoniaceae): the role of floral visitors,floral design and sexual interference

The arrangement, colour, shape and size of floral parts (collectively floral design) have evolved primarily to promote mating success via animal‐mediated pollen transfer. Although numerous studies have examined variation in pollinator assemblages, relatively few have examined patterns of pollen removal and deposition in the presence of fluctuating pollinators and ineffective floral visitors; therefore, net pollen removal and deposition by entire visitor assemblages are unclear. We studied the timing (diurnal or nocturnal) and effects of floral traits on pollen removal and deposition under a dynamic visitor assemblage of Polemonium brandegeei. We quantified pollen grains remaining in anthers (pollen removal) and deposited on stigmas (pollen deposition) of plants visited during either the day (07:30–20:00 h) or night (20:30–07:30 h) in natural populations over two flowering seasons. Pollen removal and deposition occurred both diurnally and nocturnally during our study. Increased diurnal removal and deposition coincided with peak floral visitations in 2006. This increase in pollen removal and deposition may reflect increased visits by pollen consumers, effective hawkmoth pollinators and increased self‐pollen deposition due to hot, dry weather. Nonlinear effects of style length significantly affected pollen removal, with less pollen remaining in flowers with intermediate style lengths. Pollen deposition was more complex, with herkogamy and anther height affecting deposition. Further, close proximity of stigmas and anthers increased the potential for sexual interference between pollen removal and deposition. Overall, flower visitations and pollen removal and deposition varied between years and populations, but sex organ placement consistently influenced the removal and deposition of pollen.     

Reproductive character displacement and potential underlying drivers in a species‐rich and florally diverse lineage of tropical angiosperms (Ruellia; Acanthaceae)

Reproductive character displacement is a pattern whereby sympatric lineages diverge more in reproductive character morphology than allopatric lineages. This pattern has been observed in many plant species, but comparably few have sought to disentangle underlying mechanisms. Here, in a diverse lineage of Neotropical plants (Ruellia; Acanthaceae), we present evidence of reproductive character displacement in a macroevolutionary framework (i.e., among species) and document mechanistic underpinnings. In a series of interspecific hand pollinations in a controlled glasshouse environment, we found that crosses between species that differed more in overall flower size, particularly in style length, were significantly less likely to produce viable seeds. Further, species pairs that failed to set seed were more likely to have sympatric distributions in nature. Competition for pollinators and reinforcement to avoid costly interspecific mating could both result in these patterns and are not mutually exclusive processes. Our results add to growing evidence that reproductive character displacement contributes to exceptional floral diversity of angiosperms.     

气候变化对植物-传粉昆虫的分布区和物候及其互作关系的影响

全球气候变化对生态系统的影响是人类社会面临的紧迫而又严峻的挑战。气候变化带来的极端气候事件的增多, 直接影响到生态系统生产力和服务功能。本文总结了气候变化对植物-传粉昆虫互作的研究进展, 强调植物-传粉昆虫互作网络结构和其时空演变的解析, 以及互作关系和功能性状重组研究的重要性。近年来在气温持续上升背景下对植物-传粉昆虫互作关系影响的研究也受到了更多关注, 这些研究主要集中在两方面: 一是植物和传粉昆虫分布区的变化, 包括部分种群可能灭绝; 二是物候的变化, 即植物花期和传粉昆虫活动期的改变。植物与传粉昆虫任何一方在空间或时间上的改变, 都会导致传粉关系的错配或丢失。此外, 也可能导致植物-传粉昆虫双方的功能性状及其耦合的改变, 从而影响其互作关系的稳定。建议在今后的研究中关注: (1)覆盖生物多样性的多个尺度的研究; (2)对植物-传粉者互作网络的长期监测; (3)重要指示物种繁殖适合度评价; (4)植物-传粉昆虫互作双方功能性状在时间和空间尺度上的变化, 及其互作关系的重组; (5)关键植物和传粉昆虫类群的评估和保护。     

Sex in Space: Pollination among Spatially Isolated Plants

Plant distributions are changing at unprecedented rates, primarily due to habitat clearance and the spread of alien invasive species. Landscape pattern and local density can affect plant sexual processes, particularly those mediated by biotic vectors, by acting on the composition and behavior of pollinators and seed dispersers. Ecologists are now grappling with the likely effects of these altered processes on future forest composition as existing plant reproductive mutualisms break down or adjust to new spatial circumstances. Here, we introduce five papers that address pollinator responses and pollination outcomes in a variety of human‐dominated landscapes and emphasize the need to better understand the dynamic nature of plant–pollinator interactions.     

Small populations are mate-poor but pollinator-rich in a rare, self-incompatible plant, Hymenoxys herbacea (Asteraceae)

If pollinators or compatible mates are scarce, plants in small populations may be pollen-limited and consequently produce fewer offspring. However, determining the relative importance of the genetic vs ecological mechanisms limiting successful pollination is challenging. We explored the relationships among population size, population connectivity, pollinator visitation, allozyme diversity, mate availability (measured as percent compatible crosses among plants within a population), and pollen limitation in 12 populations (N = 39-885,274) of the self-incompatible plant Hymenoxys herbacea in Ontario, Canada. Unexpectedly, small populations had more insect flower visitors per capitulum than large populations. Consistent with the effects of genetic drift, both allozyme polymorphism and mate availability decreased with decreasing population size. Pollen limitation was low and significant in only one population and could not be predicted based on knowledge of population size, connectivity, compatible mate availability, or pollinator visitation. Population size had detectable effects on both pollinator activity and mate availability. However, because the effect of population size was complementary on these two potentially limiting mechanisms, this threatened plant was rarely pollen-limited.