Title: | "Bimodal Pollination Systems in Andean Melastomataceae Involving Birds, Bats, and Rodents" |
Author(s): | Dellinger AS; Scheer LM; Artuso S; Fernandez-Fernandez D; Sornoza F; Penneys DS; Tenhaken R; Dotterl S; Schonenberger J; |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1537-5323 (Electronic) 0003-0147 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Floral adaptation to a single most effective functional pollinator group leads to specialized pollination syndromes. However, adaptations allowing for pollination by two functional groups (bimodal pollination systems) remain a rarely investigated conundrum. We tested whether floral scent and nectar traits of species visited by two functional pollinator groups indicate specialization on either of the two pollinator groups or adaptations of both (bimodal systems). We studied pollination biology in four species of Meriania (Melastomataceae) in the Ecuadorian Andes. Pollinator observations and exclusion experiments showed that each species was effectively pollinated by two functional groups (hummingbirds/bats, hummingbirds/rodents, flowerpiercers/rodents), nectar composition followed known bird preferences, and scent profiles gave mixed support for specialization on bats and rodents. Our results suggest that nectar-rewarding Meriania species have evolved stable bimodal pollination strategies with parallel adaptations to two functional pollinator groups. The discovery of rodent pollination is particularly important given its rarity outside of South Africa" |
Keywords: | "*Adaptation, Biological Animals Birds Chiroptera *Melastomataceae Odorants *Plant Nectar *Pollination Rodentia buzz pollination floral scent mixed pollination systems nectar pollinator effectiveness rodent pollination;" |
Notes: | "MedlineDellinger, Agnes S Scheer, Lisa M Artuso, Silvia Fernandez-Fernandez, Diana Sornoza, Francisco Penneys, Darin S Tenhaken, Raimund Dotterl, Stefan Schonenberger, Jurg eng Comparative Study Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2019/06/30 Am Nat. 2019 Jul; 194(1):104-116. doi: 10.1086/703517. Epub 2019 May 23" |