Twenty-five years of progress in understanding pollination mechanisms in palms (Arecaceae)

Abstract

Visitors to palm inflorescences are attracted by rewards such as food, shelter and oviposition sites. The interaction between the palm and its visiting fauna represents a trade-off between the services provided by the potential pollinators and the antagonistic activities of other insect visitors. Evidence suggests that beetles constitute the most important group of pollinators in palms, followed by bees and flies. Occasional pollinators include mammals (e.g. bats and marsupials) and even crabs. Comparative studies of palm-pollinator interactions in closely related palm species document transitions in floral morphology, phenology and anatomy correlated with shifts in pollination vectors. Synecological studies show that asynchronous flowering and partitioning of pollinator guilds may be important regulators of gene flow between closely related sympatric taxa and potential drivers of speciation processes. Studies of larger plant-pollinator networks point out the importance of competition for pollinators between palms and other flowering plants and document how the insect communities in tropical forest canopies probably influence the reproductive success of palms. However, published studies have a strong geographical bias towards the South American region and a taxonomic bias towards the tribe Cocoseae. Future studies should try to correct this imbalance to provide a more representative picture of pollination mechanisms and their evolutionary implications across the entire family.

Mauritia flexuosa palm swamp communities: natural or human-made? A palynological study of the Gran Sabana region (northern South America) within a neotropical context

“…The pollination of the species is still under discussion. Indeed, despite former proposals of several insects -notably beetles-as pollinators (Barfod et al, 2011), it has been suggested recently that M. flexuosa is a wind-pollinated species (Korshand Rosa & Koptur, 2013). This palm is widely distributed across tropical South America at both sides of the Equator, between approximately 12º N and 20º S, but it is restricted to the Orinoco and the Amazon lowlands being absent from the Andes, the Pacific coasts and most of the Brazilian Atlantic coasts (Fig.…”

Pollination in the oil palms Elaeis guineensis, E. oleifera and their hybrids (OxG), in tropical America

“…In the tropics, the most representative genera are Apis and Trigona. These genera are considered generalist pollen and nectar feeders that are attracted to flowers by color cues (Baford et al 2011). They make their nest in the proximity of palms and transport pollen grains as a food source (Henderson et al 2000, Sakai 2002.…”

“…However, they are always found in small numbers (Baford et al 2011). Thus, there is still much research to be done to reveal the precise role of this group of insects as efficient pollinators.…”

“…Thus, there is still much research to be done to reveal the precise role of this group of insects as efficient pollinators. Despite this, Caliphoridae, Tachinidae and Plastitomatidae are considered pollinators of some palm species (Baford et al 2011).…”

Correlações Genéticas E Análise De Trilha Para Caracteres De Fruto Da Palmeira Juçara

“…A família Arecaceae possui representantes por toda a região tropical e subtropical do globo, sendo considerada uma importante fonte de recursos para a sobrevivência de diferentes comunidades (ZAMBRANA et al, 2007;BARFOD et al, 2011). Dentro desta família, o gênero Euterpe reúne 28 espécies (JARDIM, 2005), e destas, sete são distribuídas na América do Sul e Central, das quais seis são encontradas no Brasil: E. edulis, E. caatinga, E. oleracea, E. longebracteata, E. precatoria e E. espiritosantensis (PINATUD et al, 2008).…”