The Experts below are selected from a list of 294 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Qingjun Li - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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reproductive biology of two himalayan alpine gingers roscoea spp zingiberaceae in china Pollination Syndrome and compensatory floral mechanisms
Plant Biology, 2011Co-Authors: W J Kress, Z Q Zhang, Qingjun LiAbstract:According to the concept of Pollination Syndromes, floral traits reflect specialisation to a particular pollinator or set of pollinators. However, the reproductive biology of endemic, and often specialised, plants may require increased attention as climate change accelerates worldwide. Species of Roscoea endemic to the Himalayan region have striking orchid-like flowers with long corolla tubes, suggesting Pollination by long-tongued insects. Until now, the reproductive biology of species of Roscoea has been poorly documented. We investigated the floral biology, breeding system and Pollination ecology of R. cautleoides and R. humeana, from Hengduan Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot in southwest China. We also tested whether floral longevity increases Pollination success. Pollination experiments showed that the two species were self-compatible and depended on insects for fruit production. Over several flowering seasons we did not observe any potential pollinators with long tongues that matched the corolla tube visiting flowers in centres of distribution. The principal pollinators observed were pollen-collecting generalist bees, with low visitation frequencies. In general, members of the ginger family are characterised by short-lived (usually 1 day) flowers, but flowers of R. cautleoides and R. humeana last 8 and 6 days, respectively. Removing stigmas decreased fruit set in both study populations. Our results suggest that the original pollinators may have been long-tongued insects that are now absent from the Chinese Himalayas because habitats have responded to climate change. However, long-lived and self-compatible flowers, coupled with the presence of generalist pollinators, are traits that have allowed these gingers to reproduce and continue to persist in the alpine habitats.
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reproductive ecology of rhynchanthus beesianus w w smith zingiberaceae in south yunnan china a ginger with bird Pollination Syndrome
Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 2006Co-Authors: Zihui Yang, Qingjun LiAbstract:Rhynchanthus beesianus W. W. Smith (Zingiberaceae) is an epiphytic tropical ginger with a very conspicuous floral display, but almost no fruit set under field conditions. The reproductive ecology encompassing phenology, floral biology, and Pollination and breeding systems was investigated in an evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The flowers possess a typical bird Pollination Syndrome, but no effective pollinators were observed during 138 h of observation. Female Black-breasted Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) and bumblebees visited R. beesianus regularly, but they all played roles as nectar robbers. No fruit was found in the bagging treatment, and fruit set following manual self-Pollination ((57.55 ± 4.08)%) was comparable with cross-Pollination ((64.32 ± 4.42)%), suggesting that R. beesianus is self-compatible but spontaneous self-Pollination in this species does not occur. Seed set of open-Pollination ((26.42 ± 3.11)%) was significantly lower than manual self-Pollination ((73.41 ± 4.16)%) and cross-Pollination ((75.56 ± 4.52)%), confirming that R. beesianus was dependent on animals for fertilization and suffered a serious pollinator-limitation. (Managing editor: Wei Wang)
Z Q Zhang - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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reproductive biology of two himalayan alpine gingers roscoea spp zingiberaceae in china Pollination Syndrome and compensatory floral mechanisms
Plant Biology, 2011Co-Authors: W J Kress, Z Q Zhang, Qingjun LiAbstract:According to the concept of Pollination Syndromes, floral traits reflect specialisation to a particular pollinator or set of pollinators. However, the reproductive biology of endemic, and often specialised, plants may require increased attention as climate change accelerates worldwide. Species of Roscoea endemic to the Himalayan region have striking orchid-like flowers with long corolla tubes, suggesting Pollination by long-tongued insects. Until now, the reproductive biology of species of Roscoea has been poorly documented. We investigated the floral biology, breeding system and Pollination ecology of R. cautleoides and R. humeana, from Hengduan Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot in southwest China. We also tested whether floral longevity increases Pollination success. Pollination experiments showed that the two species were self-compatible and depended on insects for fruit production. Over several flowering seasons we did not observe any potential pollinators with long tongues that matched the corolla tube visiting flowers in centres of distribution. The principal pollinators observed were pollen-collecting generalist bees, with low visitation frequencies. In general, members of the ginger family are characterised by short-lived (usually 1 day) flowers, but flowers of R. cautleoides and R. humeana last 8 and 6 days, respectively. Removing stigmas decreased fruit set in both study populations. Our results suggest that the original pollinators may have been long-tongued insects that are now absent from the Chinese Himalayas because habitats have responded to climate change. However, long-lived and self-compatible flowers, coupled with the presence of generalist pollinators, are traits that have allowed these gingers to reproduce and continue to persist in the alpine habitats.
Zihui Yang - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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reproductive ecology of rhynchanthus beesianus w w smith zingiberaceae in south yunnan china a ginger with bird Pollination Syndrome
Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 2006Co-Authors: Zihui Yang, Qingjun LiAbstract:Rhynchanthus beesianus W. W. Smith (Zingiberaceae) is an epiphytic tropical ginger with a very conspicuous floral display, but almost no fruit set under field conditions. The reproductive ecology encompassing phenology, floral biology, and Pollination and breeding systems was investigated in an evergreen broad-leaved forest in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The flowers possess a typical bird Pollination Syndrome, but no effective pollinators were observed during 138 h of observation. Female Black-breasted Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) and bumblebees visited R. beesianus regularly, but they all played roles as nectar robbers. No fruit was found in the bagging treatment, and fruit set following manual self-Pollination ((57.55 ± 4.08)%) was comparable with cross-Pollination ((64.32 ± 4.42)%), suggesting that R. beesianus is self-compatible but spontaneous self-Pollination in this species does not occur. Seed set of open-Pollination ((26.42 ± 3.11)%) was significantly lower than manual self-Pollination ((73.41 ± 4.16)%) and cross-Pollination ((75.56 ± 4.52)%), confirming that R. beesianus was dependent on animals for fertilization and suffered a serious pollinator-limitation. (Managing editor: Wei Wang)
K R Shivanna - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Ant Pollination of Syzygium occidentale, an endemic tree species of tropical rain forests of the Western Ghats, India
Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 2018Co-Authors: Giby Kuriakose, Palatty Allesh Sinu, K R ShivannaAbstract:Although mutualism between ants and flowering plants is wide spread, ant Pollination has not evolved as a major Pollination Syndrome. So far ant Pollination has been reported largely in herbaceous species, growing in warm and dry habitats. While studying Pollination ecology of Syzygium species (Myrtaceae), growing in tropical forests of the Western Ghats, India, we observed one of the ant species, Technomyrmex albipes , to be the dominant floral visitor in S. occidentale (Bourd.) Chithra among a range of other insect (species of Xylocopa and Trigona , and Apis cerana ) and bird visitors. We studied the role of ant species in Pollination when compared to other floral visitors. The fruit set in flowers exclusively visited by T. albipes was significantly higher than those visited by any other visitor. The day and night exclusive Pollination experiments allowing only T. albipes indicated diel Pollination by T. albipes , which was the only active flower visitor during the night. The breeding system of the species was studied through controlled Pollinations. The species is partially self-compatible and exhibits considerable autogamy.
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floral traits predict Pollination Syndrome in syzygium species a study on four endemic species of the western ghats india
Australian Journal of Botany, 2018Co-Authors: Giby Kuriakose, Palatty Allesh Sinu, K R ShivannaAbstract:Pollination ecology and the breeding system of four endemic species of Syzygium (S. heyneanum, S. travancoricum, S. laetum and S. mundagam) of the Western Ghats, India are investigated. The floral traits are used for ordination analysis to understand if the species form any cryptic groups and whether this grouping predicts the Pollination Syndrome and the breeding system. Pollinators were distinguished from frequent visitors by studying their efficiency to transfer pollen to the stigma or induce fruit set following their exclusive visit to virgin flowers. The species formed two groups in the ordination map: the S. heyneanum and S. travancoricum group and the S. laetum and S. mundagam group. The flowers of studied species attracted 3–23 species of animals during the day, but none were encountered during the night. Flowers of S. heyneanum and S. travancoricum were visited by a large number of insect species of which only a limited number turned out to be the pollinators. S. laetum and S. mundagam attracted two bird species apart from a few insect species. In S. laetum, although birds did not bring about Pollination directly, their visits facilitated anemophily by releasing pollen to the air by causing physical disturbance to the flowers. In S. mundagam, both birds and wind were involved in Pollination. S. heyeanum and S. travancoricum were fully self-compatible, whereas S. laetum and S. mundagam were partially self-compatible.
Marlies Sazima - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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beyond the Pollination Syndrome nectar ecology and the role of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators in the reproductive success of inga sessilis fabaceae
Plant Biology, 2013Co-Authors: Felipe W Amorim, Leonardo Galetto, Marlies SazimaAbstract:: Inga species present brush-type flower morphology allowing them to be visited by distinct groups of pollinators. Nectar features in relation to the main pollinators have seldom been studied in this genus. To test the hypothesis of floral adaptation to both diurnal and nocturnal pollinators, we studied the Pollination ecology of Inga sessilis, with emphasis on the nectar secretion patterns, effects of sequential removals on nectar production, sugar composition and the role of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators in its reproductive success. Inga sessilis is self-incompatible and pollinated by hummingbirds, hawkmoths and bats. Fruit set under natural conditions is very low despite the fact that most stigmas receive polyads with sufficient pollen to fertilise all ovules in a flower. Nectar secretion starts in the bud stage and flowers continually secreting nectar for a period of 8 h. Flowers actively reabsorbed the nectar a few hours before senescence. Sugar production increased after nectar removal, especially when flowers were drained during the night. Nectar sugar composition changed over flower life span, from sucrose-dominant (just after flower opening, when hummingbirds were the main visitors) to hexose-rich (throughout the night, when bats and hawkmoths were the main visitors). Diurnal pollinators contributed less than nocturnal ones to fruit production, but the former were more constant and reliable visitors through time. Our results indicate I. sessilis has floral adaptations, beyond the morphology, that encompass both diurnal and nocturnal pollinator requirements, suggesting a complementary and mixed Pollination system.
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Pollination of three species of Abutilon (Malvaceae) intermediate between bat and hummingbird flower Syndromes
Flora, 1994Co-Authors: Silvana Buzato, Marlies Sazima, Ivan SazimaAbstract:Summary Some species of Abutilon in southeastern Brazil overlap their flower features between hummingbird and bat Pollination Syndromes. We studied three such species in the montane rainforest in southeastern Brazil. Abutilon rufinerve , A. regnellii and A. aff. regnellii present the following combination of ornithophilous and chiropterophilous features: bell to bowl-shaped flowers lasting about 30 h, coloured pinkish to purplish, or yellowish, crepuscular (dusk or dawn) anthesis, and very faint cabbage odour. The flowers are visited and pollinated by a species of phyllostomid bat at night, and by several species of hummingbirds during the day. Although somewhat intermediate between ornithophily and chiropterophily, the floral features of the three species of Abutilon tend towards the bat-Pollination Syndrome.