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Increased pollinator service and reduced pollen limitation in the fixed dune populations of a desert shrub.

ABSTRACT: Evaluations of restoration success usually focus on the structural aspects of ecosystems. Pollination, as an important functional aspect, is often overlooked. Here, the shifts in pollinator assemblage and pollen limitation in the desert shrub Caragana microphylla were examined along a restoration gradient in Horqin Sand Land, northern China. We identified seven species of bees; however, only four bee species were found to be effective pollinators, with Xanthosaurus remota dominating in the fixed dunes, and with no bee species or only a single species, X. remota, being observed in the semi-fixed and mobile dunes. Flower visitation rate was nearly ten times higher in the fixed dunes than in the mobile and semi-fixed dunes. Experimental floral manipulations revealed that the fixed dune populations experienced less pollen limitation, along with the increase in pollinator availability. Between the mobile and semi-fixed dune populations, pollen limitation was severe and at similar levels. The intensity of pollen limitation was negatively related to pollinator abundance and richness. Overall, the dependence on pollinators for reproduction may be an important constraint that limits persistence in this system. Increased pollinator service during the restoration process may ameliorate pollen limitation, benefiting the restoration of vegetation in this semiarid sandy area.

SUBMITTER: Pan CC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5715164 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Increased pollinator service and reduced pollen limitation in the fixed dune populations of a desert shrub.

Pan Cheng-Chen CC Qu Hao H Feng Qi Q Liu Lin-De LD Zhao Ha-Lin HL Li Yu-Lin YL Li Yu-Qiang YQ Zhang Tong-Hui TH Liu Xin-Ping XP

Scientific reports 20171204 1

Evaluations of restoration success usually focus on the structural aspects of ecosystems. Pollination, as an important functional aspect, is often overlooked. Here, the shifts in pollinator assemblage and pollen limitation in the desert shrub Caragana microphylla were examined along a restoration gradient in Horqin Sand Land, northern China. We identified seven species of bees; however, only four bee species were found to be effective pollinators, with Xanthosaurus remota dominating in the fixed ...[more]

PMID: 29203890

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Project description:Background and aimsA vast quantity of empirical evidence suggests that insufficient quantity or quality of pollen may lead to a reduction in fruit set, in particular for self-incompatible species. This study uses an integrative approach that combines field research with marker gene analysis to understand the factors affecting reproductive success in a widely distributed self-incompatible species, Prunus virginiana (Rosaceae).MethodsTwelve patches of P. virginiana distributed within three populations that differed in degree of disturbance were examined. Two of the sites were small (7-35 km(2)) remnants of forest in an intensively used agricultural landscape, while the third was continuous (350 km(2)) and less disturbed. Field studies (natural and hand cross-pollinations) were combined with marker gene analyses (microsatellites and S-locus) in order to explore potential factors affecting pollen delivery and consequently reproductive success at landscape (between populations) and fine scales (within populations).Key resultsReductions in reproductive output were found in the two fragments compared with the continuous population, and suggest that pollen is an important factor limiting fruit production. Genetic analyses carried out in one of the fragments and in the continuous site suggest that even though S-allele diversity is high in both populations, the fragment exhibits an increase in biparental inbreeding and correlated paternity. The increase in biparental inbreeding in the fragment is potentially attributable to variation in the density of individuals and/or the spatial distribution of genotypes among populations, both of which could alter mating dynamics.ConclusionsBy using a novel integrative approach, this study shows that even though P. virginiana is a widespread species, fragmented populations can experience significant reductions in fruit set and pollen limitation in the field. Deatiled examination of one fragmented population suggests that these linitations may be explained by an increase in biparental inbreeding, correlated paternity and fine-scale genetic structure. The consistency of the field and fine-scale genetic analyses, and the consistency of the results within patches and across years, suggest that these are important processes driving pollen limitation in the fragment.

Project description:Background and aimsVariation in inbreeding depression (?) among individual plants is considered to play a central role in mating system evolution and population genetics. Moreover, such variation could be linked to individual susceptibility to pollen limitation (PL) because those individuals strongly affected by ? for seed production will require more outcross pollen for setting a given number of fruits or seeds. However, no study has tested explicitly for associations between PL and ? at the individual plant level. This study assesses the extent of among-individual variation in PL and ?, the consistency of ? across life stages, and the relationships between individual PL and ? in the mixed-mating shrub Myrtus communis.MethodsControlled hand-pollinations were performed in a natural M. communis population. Marked flowers were monitored until fruit production and a greenhouse experiment was conducted with the seeds produced.Key resultsCompared with selfing, outcross-pollination enhanced seed number per fruit, germination rate and seedling growth, but did not enhance fruit-set. Only seed number per fruit was pollen limited and, thus, cumulative pollen limitation depended more on pollen quality (outcross pollen) than on quantity. The effects of ? varied considerably across life stages and individual plants. Cumulative ? was high across individuals (mean ? = 0·65), although there were no positive correlations between ? values at different life stages. Interestingly, maternal plants showing stronger ? for seed production were more pollen limited, but they were also less affected by ? for seedling growth because of a seed size/number trade-off.ConclusionsResults show a general inconsistency in ? across life stages and individuals, suggesting that different deleterious loci are acting at different stages. The association between ? and PL at the individual level corroborates the idea that pollen limitation may be 'genotype-dependent' regardless of other factors.

Project description:Background and aimsEvolutionary transitions from outcrossing to self-fertilization are thought to occur because selfing provides reproductive assurance when pollinators or mates are scarce, but they could also occur via selection to reduce floral vulnerability to herbivores. This study investigated geographic covariation between floral morphology, fruit set, pollen limitation and florivory across the geographic range of Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia, a Pacific coastal dune endemic that varies strikingly in flower size and mating system.MethodsFruit set was quantified in 75 populations, and in 41 of these floral herbivory by larvae of a specialized moth (Mompha sp.) that consumes anthers in developing buds was also quantified. Experimental pollen supplementation was performed to quantify pollen limitation in three large-flowered, outcrossing and two small-flowered, selfing populations. These parameters were also compared between large- and small-flowered phenotypes within three mixed populations.Key resultsFruit set was much lower in large-flowered populations, and also much lower among large- than small-flowered plants within populations. Pollen supplementation increased per flower seed production in large-flowered but not small-flowered populations, but fruit set was not pollen limited. Hence inadequate pollination cannot account for the low fruit set of large-flowered plants. Floral herbivory was much more frequent in large-flowered populations and correlated negatively with fruit set. However, florivores did not preferentially attack large-flowered plants in three large-flowered populations or in two of three mixed populations.ConclusionsSelfing alleviated pollen limitation of seeds per fruit, but florivory better explains the marked variation in fruit set. Although florivory was more frequent in large-flowered populations, large-flowered individuals were not generally more vulnerable within populations. Rather than a causative selective factor, reduced florivory in small-flowered, selfing populations is probably an ecological consequence of mating system differentiation, with potentially significant effects on population demography and biotic interactions.

Dataset Information

Increased pollinator service and reduced pollen limitation in the fixed dune populations of a desert shrub.

Publications

Increased pollinator service and reduced pollen limitation in the fixed dune populations of a desert shrub.

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