Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance
Study of reproductive biology and pollination ecology helps in understanding the life history patterns of species. Such a study brings to light the bottlenecks, if any, on account of which the individuals of the species are not able to reproduce in nature and ultimately helps in planning appropriate...
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| author | Susheel Verma Ishfaq Ahmad Wani Sajid Khan Supriya Sharma Priyanka Kumari Prashant Kaushik Hamed A. El-Serehy |
| author_facet | Susheel Verma Ishfaq Ahmad Wani Sajid Khan Supriya Sharma Priyanka Kumari Prashant Kaushik Hamed A. El-Serehy |
| author_sort | Susheel Verma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Study of reproductive biology and pollination ecology helps in understanding the life history patterns of species. Such a study brings to light the bottlenecks, if any, on account of which the individuals of the species are not able to reproduce in nature and ultimately helps in planning appropriate conservation strategies for the species under threat. The present study was aimed at examining the morphological and reproductive variance in <i>Berberis lycium,</i> a threatened ecological specialist growing within shrubberies and open hillsides of the North-Western Himalayas in India. <i>B. lycium</i> displays three different variants. Flowering period ranges from February to September. Pollen viability as reported on fluorescein diacetate and acetocarmine treatments was highest for variant I, while maximum pollen output was obtained for variant III. Pollen pistil interaction is brought by the movement of anther towards stigma. Fluorescence microscopy of hand pollinated club shaped stigma shows that the germinating pollen form a ring over the receptive adaxial surface. Pollination syndrome is entomophily. Variant II attracts a significantly large number of pollinators from diverse insect families. Breeding experiments reflect that plants are self-compatible and cross fertile. Reproductive output (% fruit set) was highest for variant II followed by III and I, respectively. This investigation helped to understand the effect of different biotic and abiotic constraints on the phenology and reproductive biology of the plant. The information generated so will enable conservationists to design appropriate strategies for its long-term survival and sustenance in nature. |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-c6256a05e85547f3a3a80430a64bb74e2023-11-22T14:53:32ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472021-09-01109190710.3390/plants10091907Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal SignificanceSusheel Verma0Ishfaq Ahmad Wani1Sajid Khan2Supriya Sharma3Priyanka Kumari4Prashant Kaushik5Hamed A. El-Serehy6Conservation and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri 185234, IndiaConservation and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri 185234, IndiaConservation and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri 185234, IndiaConservation and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri 185234, IndiaConservation and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri 185234, IndiaInstituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, SpainDepartment of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh l1451, Saudi ArabiaStudy of reproductive biology and pollination ecology helps in understanding the life history patterns of species. Such a study brings to light the bottlenecks, if any, on account of which the individuals of the species are not able to reproduce in nature and ultimately helps in planning appropriate conservation strategies for the species under threat. The present study was aimed at examining the morphological and reproductive variance in <i>Berberis lycium,</i> a threatened ecological specialist growing within shrubberies and open hillsides of the North-Western Himalayas in India. <i>B. lycium</i> displays three different variants. Flowering period ranges from February to September. Pollen viability as reported on fluorescein diacetate and acetocarmine treatments was highest for variant I, while maximum pollen output was obtained for variant III. Pollen pistil interaction is brought by the movement of anther towards stigma. Fluorescence microscopy of hand pollinated club shaped stigma shows that the germinating pollen form a ring over the receptive adaxial surface. Pollination syndrome is entomophily. Variant II attracts a significantly large number of pollinators from diverse insect families. Breeding experiments reflect that plants are self-compatible and cross fertile. Reproductive output (% fruit set) was highest for variant II followed by III and I, respectively. This investigation helped to understand the effect of different biotic and abiotic constraints on the phenology and reproductive biology of the plant. The information generated so will enable conservationists to design appropriate strategies for its long-term survival and sustenance in nature.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/9/1907<i>Berberis lycium</i>variantsNorth-Western Himalayasmixed matingentomophilyseed longevity |
| spellingShingle | Susheel Verma Ishfaq Ahmad Wani Sajid Khan Supriya Sharma Priyanka Kumari Prashant Kaushik Hamed A. El-Serehy Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance Plants <i>Berberis lycium</i> variants North-Western Himalayas mixed mating entomophily seed longevity |
| title | Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance |
| title_full | Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance |
| title_fullStr | Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance |
| title_short | Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of <i>Berberis lycium</i> Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance |
| title_sort | reproductive biology and pollination ecology of i berberis lycium i royle a highly valued shrub of immense medicinal significance |
| topic | <i>Berberis lycium</i> variants North-Western Himalayas mixed mating entomophily seed longevity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/9/1907 |
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