Contrasting Pollination Systems of Wild Unction and Devil's Potato Root (Apocynaceae) on San Salvador: Preliminary Observations and Analyses

Koptur, Suzanne; Livshultz, Tatyana; Ionta, Gretchen M.; Tan, Ching-Wen

doi:10.2179/0008-7475.84.1.81

Cited by 2 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Observations in the Bahamas (Koptur et al., ) revealed this species to have flowers quite similar in appearance and structure to, but substantially larger than, those of A. berteroi (Fig. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…On San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, we observed many large butterflies visiting Pentalinon flowers, in addition to bees. Several butterfly species were found to carry Pentalinon pollen on their mouthparts (Koptur et al., ), including the Antillean gulf fritillary. Of all the Lepidoptera measured, the proboscis of the Antillean gulf fritillary is the widest and closest in size to the wider mouthparts of long‐tongued bees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The flowering peak of this species is spring and summer, although flowers can be found on plants throughout the year. The flowers open at sunrise and have a nectar concentration slightly lower than, but in the same range as, A. berteroi (ranging from 25% to 41% sugar, with a mean of 34.2%; Koptur et al., ). The fruits take 100 days to mature after successful pollination.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Observations in the Bahamas revealed a flowering peak in summer, although flowering individuals may be observed throughout the year. No visitors were ever observed there, although hawkmoths were expected/predicted due to the color, morphology, and nocturnal and diurnal opening time of the flowers (Koptur et al., ). A single flower may last up to 10 days, and each contains a large nectar reward with concentrations similar to that of Pentalinon (20–31% sugar, with a mean of 26%; Koptur et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…No visitors were ever observed there, although hawkmoths were expected/predicted due to the color, morphology, and nocturnal and diurnal opening time of the flowers (Koptur et al., ). A single flower may last up to 10 days, and each contains a large nectar reward with concentrations similar to that of Pentalinon (20–31% sugar, with a mean of 26%; Koptur et al., ). Most E. umbellatus individuals are self‐incompatible, but some individuals are self‐compatible (Koptur, unpublished data).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A fishing expedition to discover the pollinators of several subtropical Apocynaceae

et al. 2020

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Premise Flowers of the Apocynaceae (milkweed family) have complex structures and pollination mechanisms. Pollen removal and deposition in Angadenia, Pentalinon, and Echites are similar, with anthers releasing pollen onto the sterile style head. The mid‐style head excretes a glue that coats the mouthparts of vistors to aid in the transfer of pollen. Subsequent probes may deposit pollen on the receptive stigmatic surface on the lowest part of the style head, with fertilization resulting after pollination by compatible pollen. Methods By employing fishing line of different diameters, which reflected the diameters of the mouthparts of the different insect visitors, we determined the widths best able to remove and deposit pollen, thereby revealing which of the visitors could be effective pollinators, and which may be only nectar robbers. Results We previously found that mouthpart (proboscis) width is correlated with pollen transfer effectiveness in Angadenia berteroi and confirmed this here in two other species, Pentalinon luteum and Echites umbellatus. Our data allowed the prediction of the most effective pollinators of these two other species. Discussion The simulation of flower visitor mouthparts using fishing line can provide useful data for evaluating the potential for effective pollen removal and deposition by different visitors.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A fishing expedition to discover the pollinators of several subtropical Apocynaceae

et al. 2020

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Self-Incompatibility in Devil’s Potato (Echites umbellatus Jacq., Apocynaceae) May Explain Why Few Flowers Set Fruit

Koptur,

Primoli,

Valdes

et al. 2024

Biology

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Pollinators are needed for the reproduction of Echites umbellatus, and only sphingid moths have mouthparts long enough to reach the nectar at the bottom of the species’ long, twisted floral tube. Though plants produce many flowers over a period of several months, one observes very few fruits in nature. We asked: (1) Are plants self-compatible, or do they need pollen from another individual to set fruit and seed? (2) Are cross-pollinations between unrelated individuals more successful than crosses with relatives? (3) How does the relatedness of pollen and ovule parent plants affect fruit set, seed number, and seed quality? We investigated the breeding system of E. umbellatus by collecting fruits from seven sites, growing plants and performing hand pollinations over a period of several years, collecting and measuring fruits and counting seeds. Echites umbellatus is self-incompatible, though some individuals produce fruit by self-pollination. Cross-pollinations between unrelated individuals set the most fruit (59%), and those that were self-pollinated set the least (9%). Fruit set from cross-pollinations between related individuals was intermediate (32%). Although the number of seeds per fruit did not differ significantly among pollination treatments, fruits from self-pollinations had substantially fewer viable seeds than outcrossed fruits, with fruits from sibling crosses being intermediate. There were higher levels of self-compatibility in the fragment populations compared with plants from intact habitats. Self-incompatibility may explain why fruit set is low in this plant species; future investigation into the breakdown of self-incompatibility in smaller populations is warranted.

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Contrasting Pollination Systems of Wild Unction and Devil's Potato Root (Apocynaceae) on San Salvador: Preliminary Observations and Analyses

Cited by 2 publications

References 26 publications

A fishing expedition to discover the pollinators of several subtropical Apocynaceae

A fishing expedition to discover the pollinators of several subtropical Apocynaceae

Self-Incompatibility in Devil’s Potato (Echites umbellatus Jacq., Apocynaceae) May Explain Why Few Flowers Set Fruit

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