Generalist passerine pollination of a winter-flowering fruit tree in central China

Fang, Qiang; Chen, Yingzhuo; Huang, Shuang‐Quan

doi:10.1093/aob/mcr293

Cited by 45 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Although some temperate winter‐flowering plants depend on birds for pollination (e.g., Aizen, , Tristerix Mart. ; Fang, Chen, & Huang, , Eriobotrya Lindl. ; Sun, Huang, Chen, & Huang, , Camellia L.), the present study is the first to fully document specialized pollination by honeybees in fall–winter flowering plants, and thereby it explicitly indicates that the bee pollination niche could be available to temperate plant species even during mid‐winter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Specialized pollination by honeybees inCymbidium dayanum, a fall–winter flowering orchid

Matsuda

Sugiura

2019

Plant Species Biology

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Floral biology and pollination mechanisms of Cymbidium dayanum, an endangered epiphytic orchid, were investigated in south Kyushu, Japan. The flowering period spanned approximately 4 months from fall to winter, with the inflorescences often blooming asynchronously on each plant and individual flowers commonly lasting for a month. The nectarless flowers are self‐compatible but cannot autonomously self‐pollinate; the orchid needs to attract pollinators by deceit for capsule production. The field observations showed that the flowers were pollinated exclusively by the Japanese honeybee Apis cerana japonica, despite its long flowering period. The worker bees pollinated flowers and/or received the pollinarium on the thorax, while escaping from the labellum chamber. The natural fruit‐set ratios at the population level, an estimate of pollination success, varied interannually but were generally low, as the result of infrequent flower visits by honeybee workers owing to the cold winter climate and the lack of a nectar reward. Because most flowers that were artificially pollinated in the winter successfully developed into capsules, the coldness was not considered a direct cause of the low fruit‐set ratios. Our results explicitly indicate that the bee pollination niche could be available to temperate plant species even during mid‐winter. We inferred advantages for the winter flowering of C. dayanum.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Specialized pollination by honeybees inCymbidium dayanum, a fall–winter flowering orchid

Matsuda

Sugiura

2019

Plant Species Biology

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“…Currently, while several plant species can be bird pollinated, the contribution of birds to pollination has been experimentally confirmed for relatively few plant species in East Asia ( Camellia japonica , Kunitake et al . ; Eriobotrya japonica , Fang, Chen & Huang ; Stachyurus praecox , Kaoru Fujita, personal communication). The white‐eye rarely acted as a predator of dietary plant species (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Abe et al . ; Fang, Chen & Huang ; but see Ueda ). Conversely, the bulbul showed plasticity in feeding behaviour according to flower size (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of temperate bird–flower interactions as entangled mutualistic and antagonistic sub‐networks: characterization at the network and species levels

Yoshikawa

Isagi

2013

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Summary1. Most network studies on biological interactions consider only a single interaction type. However, individual species are simultaneously positioned in various types of interactions. The ways in which different network types are merged and entangled, and the variations in network structures between different sympatric networks, require full elucidation. Incorporating interaction types and disentangling complex networks is crucial, because the integration of various network architectures has the potential to alter the stability and co-evolutionary dynamics of the whole network. 2. To reveal how different types of interaction networks are entangled, we focused on the interaction between birds and flowers of temperate plants in Japan, where flower-feeding birds are mainly generalist passerines, acting as pollinators and predators of flowers. 3. Using long-term monitoring data, we investigated the flower-feeding episodes of birds. We constructed the whole network (WN) between birds and plants, separating the network into mutualistic and antagonistic sub-networks (MS and AS, respectively). We investigated structural properties of the three quantified networks and species-level characteristics of the main bird species. For bird species, we evaluated dietary similarity, dietary specialization and shifts of feeding behaviour relative to plant traits. 4. Our results indicate that WN comprises entangled MS and AS, sharing considerable proportions of bird and plant assemblages. We observed distinctive differences in the network structural properties between the two sub-networks. In comparison with AS, MS had lower numbers of bird and plant species, showed lower specialization and modularity and exhibited higher nestedness. At the species level, the Japanese white-eye acted as pollinator, while the brown-eared bulbul acted as both pollinator and predator for large numbers of flowers, based on its behavioural plasticity. Overall, the pattern of avian feeding behaviour was influenced by flower size and plant origin. Birds showed nectarivory for plants with medium-sized flowers and exotic origins. 5. Our results highlight the complex patterns of interactions between birds and the flowers of plants in temperate regions. They also indicate that understanding the interaction type for each species pair and consideration of the behavioural plasticity of animal species are important for elucidating integrated network structures.

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“…By contrast, birds, which might be considered ‘alternative pollinators,’ are warm-blooded and more reliable at low temperatures, especially where cold and/or rainy weather conditions might be frequent (Fang et al, 2012). Although several studies indicate that frequent pollinator shifts have occurred during angiosperm speciation events, it may be the case that a large proportion of these events occur relatively late within specific pollination systems (Serrano-Serrano et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional Diversity of Nectary Structure and Nectar Composition in the Genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae)

et al. 2018

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Fritillaria is a genus consisting of 130 to 140 species of bulbous plants, native to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Generally viewed as an insect pollinated genus with the exception of two North American species, Fritillaria gentneri and F. recurva, which are described as hummingbird-pollinated and the Asian species, F. imperialis, described as passerine-pollinated. These pollinator shifts are possibly the result of adaptive changes to the structure and morphology of the nectary, as well as a change in the nectar concentration and composition. A study was conducted in a target group of 56 Fritillaria species, based on the morphology of their nectaries and nectar composition to assess the significance of pollination mode as well as its predisposition for the evolution of bird pollination. All species studied had nectaries located at their tepal base and produced nectar, but their size, shape, color, and composition all varied. Most fritillaries had hexose-rich nectar, in easily accessible and unprotected nectaries. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed that the surface of the nectaries of most Fritillaria species was flat and clearly distinct from that of the surrounding tissues, which might be regarded as an adaptation for insect-pollination. Nectaries of F. imperialis were considerably larger and had dilute nectar without sucrose, which was produced profusely, thereby fulfilling the criteria characteristic of ornithophilous flowers. The copious nectar of presumed hummingbird-pollinated species was rather balanced and of medium sugar concentration. Their large lanceolate nectaries contrasted sharply with the tessellated background of their tepals. These characters might indicate a mixed pollination system that engages both birds and insects. Floral anatomy and microstructure and nectar composition for Fritillaria species in subgenera Korolkowia and Liliorhiza are studied for the first time.

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Generalist passerine pollination of a winter-flowering fruit tree in central China

Abstract: These findings suggest that floral traits and phenology would be favoured to attract bird pollinators in cold weather, in which insect activity is limited.

Cited by 45 publications

References 26 publications

Specialized pollination by honeybees inCymbidium dayanum, a fall–winter flowering orchid

Specialized pollination by honeybees inCymbidium dayanum, a fall–winter flowering orchid

Determination of temperate bird–flower interactions as entangled mutualistic and antagonistic sub‐networks: characterization at the network and species levels

Functional Diversity of Nectary Structure and Nectar Composition in the Genus Fritillaria (Liliaceae)

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