Ant pollination of Syzygium occidentale, an endemic tree species of tropical rain forests of the Western Ghats, India

Kuriakose, Giby; Sinu, Palatty Allesh; Shivanna, K. R.

doi:10.1007/s11829-018-9613-1

Cited by 29 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…, Kuriakose et al. , ). Some authors have suggested that pollination syndromes are not reliable to predict the potential pollinators (Hingston and McQuillan , Hargreaves et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Geographic isolation, pollination syndromes, and pollinator generalization in HimalayanRoscoeaspp. (Zingiberaceae)

et al. 2019

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The pollination syndromes have been widely used to predict effective pollinators of plant species and provide the mechanistic explanation of floral diversity. However, in recent years, the predictive applicability of pollination syndromes has been frequently questioned. The accuracy of the syndromes among the closely related plant species may vary temporally and spatially. This suggests the need for the standardized, comprehensive evaluation of factors influencing the matching of a pollination syndrome of a plant species to the predominant pollinator community. We studied the pollination biology of three geographically/phenologically isolated alpine gingers (Roscoea auriculata, Roscoea capitata, and Roscoea tumjensis) exhibiting the correlated suites of floral traits that suggest long‐tongued insects as major pollinators, to test for the predictive power of the respective pollination syndrome. We also tested if geographical and temporal isolation affects interspecies breeding system and extent of pollinator generalization. We demonstrate that the three Roscoea species are self‐compatible but lack autonomous selfing, and thus completely rely on pollinators for pollination success. Five years of observations demonstrate that only diurnal insect visitors foraged on the flowers of the three Roscoea species. Estimates of the pollinator importance (pollen deposition) of the observed floral visitors indicate that morphologically mismatched bumblebees contribute more than 90% of pollination service in all the three Roscoea species, while long‐tongued butterflies and moths function as nectar robbers. We found that geographical isolation and temporal variation in flowering period does not affect the breeding system and pollinator generalization in the three Roscoea species. The three geographically and phenologically isolated Himalayan Roscoea spp., with long‐tongued insect pollination syndrome, exhibit generalized pollination system and primarily rely on the morphologically mismatched Bombus species for pollination success. While, for three Roscoea spp., our result suggests that pollination syndromes are a weak predictor of efficient contemporary pollinator community, it also substantiates the role of non‐pollinator agents for the evolution of floral traits. The evolution of Bombus pollination in these alpine gingers suggests how the mismatch between plant and pollinator phenology can lead to the emergence of novel reproductive strategies among the congeners, which ultimately seems to play a key role for the speciation and diversification of the genus Roscoea in the Himalayas.

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“…, Kuriakose et al. , ). Some authors have suggested that pollination syndromes are not reliable to predict the potential pollinators (Hingston and McQuillan , Hargreaves et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…, Kuriakose et al. , ). The mounting evidence suggests that plant species with specific pollination syndromes are often pollinated by several types of floral visitors, and in some cases, the contribution of generalized pollinators outweighs the contribution of pollinators predicted by the floral syndromes (Waser et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Geographic isolation, pollination syndromes, and pollinator generalization in HimalayanRoscoeaspp. (Zingiberaceae)

et al. 2019

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“…Silva & Pinheiro (2009), for instances, written that species of hymenoptera (Apis melifera) visited flowers of Myrtaceae family such as Eugenia uniflora, E. punicifolia, E. neonitida and E. rotundifolia as the main pollinators. Kuriakose et al (2018) also report that Xylocopa sp also foraging nectar of S. occidantale. Silva & Pinheiro (2009) also claim that some flowers from the Myrtaceae family have hermaphrodite, polystemonous, papaver type of pollen flowers and generalist characteristics.…”

Section: Association Of Animals Towards Flowers Of X Novoguineenismentioning

confidence: 82%

“…As well as wasp, the flowers of this plant also provide the food for black ant and red ant. Kuriakose et al (2018) point out that mostly the flower of Myrtaceae species is visited regularly by whitefooted ants (Technomyres albipes) and red weaver ant (Oecophylla samaragdina). As Kuriakose et al (2018) show, Technomyres albipes and Oecophylla samaragdina are the pollinator for Syzygium occidentale.…”

Section: Association Of Animals Towards Flowers Of X Novoguineenismentioning

confidence: 99%

Record of Animals Association with Xanthostemon novoguineensis (Valeton)

Sanito

2018

J. Biol Papua

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Xanthostemon novoguineenis (vernacular name: Sowang), an endemic plant in Papua from Myrtaceae family, is found widely near the buffer zone area and Mt. Cyclops Nature Reserve (MCNR) area. This research aimed to record the association of animals towards X. novoguineensis on its natural habitat. The survey was conducted in Cyclops buffer zone near Sentani City, Papua Province, Indonesia. The result showed that an interaction of animals directly to X. novoguineensis was documented and identified. Some insects species have an association with X. novoguineensis, namely black wasp (Isodontia sp 1), black-orange wasp (Isodontia sp 2), red weaver ant (Oecophylla sp 1) and black weaver ant (Oecophylla sp 2) have an association directly to flowers of X. novoguineensis. Furthermore, stick insect (Scepthrophasma sp) and spider (possibly from Araneae family) have an association with the leaves and trunks of this plant. Based on the finding, some leaves of these plant are fed by insects. It is indicated by a pattern of insect bites on the leaves. Key words: buffer zone area, cyclops, insect, sowang, Papua

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“…Although nectar is an important floral resource to attract pollinators, ant pollination is assumed to be rare and restricted to a few species within angiosperms Domingos-Melo et al, 2017;Kuriakose et al, 2018). The reasons why ants are considered poor agents of cross-pollination are related to three peculiar characteristics of these insects: (1) their small size, generally smaller than the floral reproductive structures; (2) grooming or self-cleaning behaviour, removing pollen before transport; and (3) limited displacement, as foragers cannot fly and thus only visit resources near the nest (Faegri and Pijl, 1979;de Vega et al, 2014;Domingos-Melo et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant pollination of Paepalanthus lundii (Eriocaulaceae) in Brazilian savanna

et al. 2019

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Background and Aims Ant–plant associations are widely diverse and distributed throughout the world, leading to complex ecological networks. Regarding ant–plant mutualism, ant pollination is a very rare interaction and few studies have shown the role of ants as pollinators. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the role of ants as effective pollinators of Paepalanthus lundii (Eriocaulaceae) in a Brazilian savanna. Methods Fieldwork with experimental manipulation was conducted to evaluate the fitness of P. lundii, considering potential pollinators. For this, we mainly observed the number of seeds produced in different conditions: control, ant exclusion, exclusion of flying insects, and exclusion (entomophily test) of both ants and flying insects. Furthermore, we evaluated all floral visitors throughout the day, stigma receptivity, the numbers of male and female flowers, and patterns of species co-occurrence, which can indicate the presence of different pollinators in the plants at the same time. Key Results We observed a relation between seed production and ant visits; Camponotus crassus was the most frequent floral visitor and the most effective pollinator. Also, we observed a statistical difference between the numbers of male and female flowers produced, with a greater number of male flowers. Furthermore, P. lundii presented flowering asynchrony, with 12 different types of maturation sequence, which indicates a cross-pollination system. Lastly, we observed an overlap of the greatest abundance of C. crassus and the time of plant stigmatic receptivity, and a pattern of non co-occurrence of ants, which shows the pollinator role of this ant. Conclusions Our data provide evidence that previous generalizations neglecting the importance of ants as pollinators are wrong. Brazilian savanna can reveal a lot about the ant-pollination syndrome, since this environment presents peculiar characteristics related to this association. Thus, this study has great significance for the understanding of the ant-pollination syndrome, and for the understanding of the complex ecological networks present in these dry arid systems.

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Ant pollination of Syzygium occidentale, an endemic tree species of tropical rain forests of the Western Ghats, India

Cited by 29 publications

References 39 publications

Geographic isolation, pollination syndromes, and pollinator generalization in HimalayanRoscoeaspp. (Zingiberaceae)

Geographic isolation, pollination syndromes, and pollinator generalization in HimalayanRoscoeaspp. (Zingiberaceae)

Record of Animals Association with Xanthostemon novoguineensis (Valeton)

Ant pollination of Paepalanthus lundii (Eriocaulaceae) in Brazilian savanna

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