Agarista revoluta (Ericaceae): A generalist plant with self-compatible and self-incompatible individuals

Abstract

In the Neotropics, Ericaceae species occur mainly at high altitudes being adapted to pollination by bees or hummingbirds. These species are mainly self-compatible, a breeding commonly found at high altitudes. Agarista revoluta is an Ericaceae species that occurs in sandy coastal plains (restinga), a hot and dry lowland environment unusual for Ericaceae. This species has similar floral traits as other Ericaceae pollinated by bees. However, we do not know what reproductive strategies this plant use to deal with the extreme environment. We studied the floral biology, the breeding system and floral visitors of A. revoluta in the restinga. We found that the species is a generalist being visited by diurnal and nocturnal insects, and that the studied population presents a rare mixed breeding system, with both self-compatible and self-incompatible individuals. These results suggest that A. revoluta differs from other Ericaceae species from the Neotropics by presenting reproductive strategies (generalist pollination and mixed breeding system) that warrant their reproductive success in an unpredictable environment for pollination.