Abstract
BackgroundReproduction in most flowering plants may be limited because of the decreased visitation or activity of pollinators in fragmented habitats. Hedysarum scoparium Fisch. et Mey. is an arid region shrub with ecological importance. We explored the pollen limitation and seed set of Hedysarum scoparium in fragmented and restored environments, and examined whether pollen limitation is a significant limiting factor for seed set. We also compared floral traits and pollinator visitation between both habitats, and we determined the difference of floral traits and pollinators influenced reproductive success in Hedysarum scoparium.ResultsOur results indicated that supplementation with pollen significantly increased seed set per flower, which is pollen-limited in this species. Furthermore, there was greater seed set of the hand cross-pollination group in the restored habitat compared to the fragmented environment. More visits by Apis mellifera were recorded in the restored habitats, which may explain the difference in seed production between the fragmented and restored habitats.ConclusionsIn this study, a positive association between pollinator visitation frequency and open flower number was observed. The findings of this study are important for experimentally quantifying the effects of floral traits and pollinators on plant reproductive success in different habitats.
Highlights
Reproduction in most flowering plants may be limited because of the decreased visitation or activity of pollinators in fragmented habitats
The seed set of open pollination group was 23.5 ± 1.7% (2018) and 26.2 ± 2.8% (2019), while the seed set of hand cross-pollination group was 35.6 ± 1.7% (2018) and 37.9 ± 1.0% (2019) (Fig. 1)
Our results indicated that pollen supplementation and location in a restored habitat significantly increased the seed set (GLM, pollen addition treatment effect: likelihood ratio2 = 56.34, df = 1, P < 0.001; Table 1)
Summary
Reproduction in most flowering plants may be limited because of the decreased visitation or activity of pollinators in fragmented habitats. We compared floral traits and pollinator visitation between both habitats, and we determined the difference of floral traits and pollinators influenced reproductive success in Hedysarum scoparium. Floral trait evolution under pollinator selection is associated with incredibly specialized adaptive pathways as a result of more effective pollinator visitation in pollination syndromes [5]. These floral traits might both facilitate pollination by the primary pollinator and impede other possible pollinators, which could enhance the transfer of pollen [3].
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