Abstract Detail

Pollination Biology

KOPTUR, SUZANNE [1], Barrios Roque , Beyte  [2].

Do Flowering Palms Hog All the Visitors?  A test of the pollinator magnet hypothesis.

Plants that bloom at the same time may interfere with each other’s pollination (competition for pollinators) or may enhance each other’s pollination (pollinator sharing).  During many of our studies over the years, we noticed that our target study species often had many fewer visitors than nearby flowering palms, sabal palm (Sabal palmetto) and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), inflorescences of which always seemed to be covered with visitors.  In this study we asked the question: what is the effect of native palm flowering on the pollination of a native wildflower species? Using potted plants of the pineland golden trumpet Angadenia berteroi (Apocynaceae), we placed plants with flowers about to open in the field in two positions: within 5 m of flowering palms, and within 5 m of palms that were not flowering.  We observed visitors to the flowers of Angadenia, on plants in both situations.  By late afternoon, the corollas of the one-day flowers were falling from the plants, so we collected them to look for pollen deposition on the receptive stigmatic surface.  The same flowers were followed in the greenhouse to see if they set fruit. Our results showed that flowers on plants in both situations were visited, but the ones near flowering palms less frequently.  Microscopic examination of the fallen corollas in the lab revealed that more of the flowers from plants near non-flowering palms had pollen deposited on the receptive portion of the stigma (76% vs. 59%).  Fruit set on flowers presented did not differ between treatments (30% vs. 27%).  This simple experiment provides data to demonstrate that flowering palms are “pollinator hogs”. By attracting many visitors by their large floral displays full of pollen and nectar, visits to one of the most beautiful of the pine rockland wildflowers were diminished, and less pollination resulted.  Future experiments may potentially reveal more dramatic effects with less attractive native wildflowers.

1 - Florida International University, Department Of Biological Sciences, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
2 - Florida International University, Deparment of Biological Science, 11200 SW 8 st, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

Keywords:
pollen
stigma
palm
Competition
sharing
magnet
Pine Rocklands 
Florida
model system
Apocynaceae
Arecaceae
wildflower.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 40
Location: Firs South/Boise Centre
Date: Wednesday, July 30th, 2014
Time: 1:45 PM
Number: 40002
Abstract ID:681
Candidate for Awards:None