Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system
Determining the main pollinators and the factors that control their abundance is a prerequisite for improving the production of many crops, including the globally important cash crop cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Yet, the identity and the breeding habitats of cacao pollinators remain controversial sin...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Basic and Applied Ecology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179123000099 |
| _version_ | 1797755068969123840 |
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| author | Mathil Vandromme Eliza Van de Sande Tom Pinceel Wouter Vanhove Hendrik Trekels Bram Vanschoenwinkel |
| author_facet | Mathil Vandromme Eliza Van de Sande Tom Pinceel Wouter Vanhove Hendrik Trekels Bram Vanschoenwinkel |
| author_sort | Mathil Vandromme |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Determining the main pollinators and the factors that control their abundance is a prerequisite for improving the production of many crops, including the globally important cash crop cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Yet, the identity and the breeding habitats of cacao pollinators remain controversial since they are very difficult to identify morphologically due to their small size. It is known that tiny midges are involved in cacao pollination, but their diversity and ecology remain obscure. Here, we combined the collection of flower visitors, the use of emergence traps, and DNA barcoding to assess the diversity of dipteran cacao flower visitors and link them to five candidate breeding habitats in an agroforestry system in central Nicaragua. We detected 59 lineages of dipteran flower visitors, including Cecidomyiidae, Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Sciaridae, suggesting that dipteran cacao pollinator diversity may be much higher than previously assumed. Five lineages could be genetically traced back to specific breeding habitats. We conclude that the presented approach can be a promising tool to reliably delineate potential pollinator species and their breeding habitats, which can inform management strategies to promote cacao pollination. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:41:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3bb0a0a4af9c4c7fad90257e64e2df9c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1439-1791 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:41:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Basic and Applied Ecology |
| spelling | doaj.art-3bb0a0a4af9c4c7fad90257e64e2df9c2023-08-04T05:46:45ZengElsevierBasic and Applied Ecology1439-17912023-05-01683545Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry systemMathil Vandromme0Eliza Van de Sande1Tom Pinceel2Wouter Vanhove3Hendrik Trekels4Bram Vanschoenwinkel5Community Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumCommunity Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; Corresponding author:Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaLaboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Crops and Ethnobotany, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, BelgiumCommunity Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumCommunity Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaDetermining the main pollinators and the factors that control their abundance is a prerequisite for improving the production of many crops, including the globally important cash crop cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Yet, the identity and the breeding habitats of cacao pollinators remain controversial since they are very difficult to identify morphologically due to their small size. It is known that tiny midges are involved in cacao pollination, but their diversity and ecology remain obscure. Here, we combined the collection of flower visitors, the use of emergence traps, and DNA barcoding to assess the diversity of dipteran cacao flower visitors and link them to five candidate breeding habitats in an agroforestry system in central Nicaragua. We detected 59 lineages of dipteran flower visitors, including Cecidomyiidae, Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Sciaridae, suggesting that dipteran cacao pollinator diversity may be much higher than previously assumed. Five lineages could be genetically traced back to specific breeding habitats. We conclude that the presented approach can be a promising tool to reliably delineate potential pollinator species and their breeding habitats, which can inform management strategies to promote cacao pollination.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179123000099CecidomyiidaeCeratopogonidaeCocoaDNA barcodingNicaraguaPollination |
| spellingShingle | Mathil Vandromme Eliza Van de Sande Tom Pinceel Wouter Vanhove Hendrik Trekels Bram Vanschoenwinkel Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system Basic and Applied Ecology Cecidomyiidae Ceratopogonidae Cocoa DNA barcoding Nicaragua Pollination |
| title | Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system |
| title_full | Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system |
| title_fullStr | Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system |
| title_short | Resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system |
| title_sort | resolving the identity and breeding habitats of cryptic dipteran cacao flower visitors in a neotropical cacao agroforestry system |
| topic | Cecidomyiidae Ceratopogonidae Cocoa DNA barcoding Nicaragua Pollination |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179123000099 |
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