Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids
A single plant might be visited by many flower visitors but not all might act as pollinators. Legitimate pollinators might also differ considerably in their efficiency, limiting pollination success. Unsuitable climatic conditions such as rain also affect pollinator activity. However, in the evergree...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/10/856 |
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| author | Hortensia Cabrera Reyes David Draper Isabel Marques |
| author_facet | Hortensia Cabrera Reyes David Draper Isabel Marques |
| author_sort | Hortensia Cabrera Reyes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A single plant might be visited by many flower visitors but not all might act as pollinators. Legitimate pollinators might also differ considerably in their efficiency, limiting pollination success. Unsuitable climatic conditions such as rain also affect pollinator activity. However, in the evergreen rainforest there is no prolonged dry season and flowering occurs usually under rain. Here, we explore the dependence on pollinators and the efficiency of flower visitors for the fruiting success of 10 Andean rainforest orchids. All species were self-compatible but strictly pollinator-dependent. Overall, we found low levels of fruit set in control flowers while experimental geitonogamous and cross-pollinations increased fruit set, revealing extensive pollination limitation in all populations. Seed viability dropped considerably after self and geitonogamous pollinations suggesting the possibility of early-acting inbreeding depression. Even though we monitored flower visitors on an extensive survey, few visitors were seen in these species and even fewer acted as legitimate pollinators. Thus, even though orchid pollination might be extremely diversified, these results show that few visitors are pollinating these species, explaining the low levels of fruit set recorded in the area studied. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:29:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-865f95c426fc4093a071e800c725dcf1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:29:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-865f95c426fc4093a071e800c725dcf12023-11-22T18:38:34ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-09-01121085610.3390/insects12100856Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical OrchidsHortensia Cabrera Reyes0David Draper1Isabel Marques2Universidad Yachay Tech, Hacienda San José s/n, 100115 San Miguel de Urcuquí, EcuadorCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change, National Museum of Natural History and Science, Universidade de Lisboa, 1250-102 Lisboa, PortugalForest Research Centre (CEF), Plant-Environment Interactions and Biodiversity Lab (PlantStress & Biodiversity), Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, PortugalA single plant might be visited by many flower visitors but not all might act as pollinators. Legitimate pollinators might also differ considerably in their efficiency, limiting pollination success. Unsuitable climatic conditions such as rain also affect pollinator activity. However, in the evergreen rainforest there is no prolonged dry season and flowering occurs usually under rain. Here, we explore the dependence on pollinators and the efficiency of flower visitors for the fruiting success of 10 Andean rainforest orchids. All species were self-compatible but strictly pollinator-dependent. Overall, we found low levels of fruit set in control flowers while experimental geitonogamous and cross-pollinations increased fruit set, revealing extensive pollination limitation in all populations. Seed viability dropped considerably after self and geitonogamous pollinations suggesting the possibility of early-acting inbreeding depression. Even though we monitored flower visitors on an extensive survey, few visitors were seen in these species and even fewer acted as legitimate pollinators. Thus, even though orchid pollination might be extremely diversified, these results show that few visitors are pollinating these species, explaining the low levels of fruit set recorded in the area studied.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/10/856deceptionorchidspollinationrainforestreproductiontropical pollinators |
| spellingShingle | Hortensia Cabrera Reyes David Draper Isabel Marques Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids Insects deception orchids pollination rainforest reproduction tropical pollinators |
| title | Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids |
| title_full | Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids |
| title_fullStr | Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids |
| title_short | Pollination in the Rainforest: Scarce Visitors and Low Effective Pollinators Limit the Fruiting Success of Tropical Orchids |
| title_sort | pollination in the rainforest scarce visitors and low effective pollinators limit the fruiting success of tropical orchids |
| topic | deception orchids pollination rainforest reproduction tropical pollinators |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/10/856 |
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