Abstract
Intraspecific floral variations may affect the degree of generalization and efficacy of pollinators, with consequences for plant reproductive success. Such effects could be greater for heterostylous plants because morphological variation can alter reciprocity between morphs. We evaluated the frequency, composition, and efficacy of pollinators, and the reciprocity (measured by population inaccuracy) of Psychotria nuda, a distylous species of Rubiaceae, in a montane forest. Moreover, we assessed the effects of corolla length on reciprocity and reproductive success. We recorded eighteen species of floral visitors, belonging to four functional groups. The frequency of visits differed among groups with butterflies being the most frequent visitors, in contrast to hummingbird-pollinated lowland populations. This difference did not affect reproductive success, since fruit set was similar between these populations. The total population inaccuracy was 21.56 mm2, with inaccuracy of low organs being higher (12.03 mm²) than that of high organs (9.53 mm²). Floral traits may have different effects on the reproductive success of morphs of distylous species; the corolla length of P. nuda only affected the reproductive success of short-styled flowers. Large corollas showed greater reproductive success and lower individual inaccuracies for this morph, indicating compensation for the effects of imperfect reciprocal herkogamy on reproductive success.
Highlights
Plants pollinated by animals have been classified as specialists or generalists based on the number of species or functional groups of pollinators (Ollerton et al 2007)
A total of 82 flowers were visited during the experiment: 47 by butterflies (LS = 30 flowers; SS = 17 flowers), 23 by large-sized bees (LS = 14 flowers; SS = 9 flowers) and 12 by small-sized bees (LS = 2 flowers; SS = 10 flowers); no flower was visited by hummingbirds during the experiment)
Fruit set after one flower visit did not differ between butterflies and small-sized bees (Tab. 1; X2 = 0.07; df = 1; p = 0.80), and visits
Summary
Plants pollinated by animals have been classified as specialists or generalists based on the number of species or functional groups of pollinators (Ollerton et al 2007). In addition to interspecific variation, floral traits can vary intraspecifically, that is, among populations or individuals from the same population (Herrera 2009). In this way, pollinators may mediate selection in the evolution of floral traits (Harder & Johnson 2009; Van der Niet & Johnson 2012), if those traits are heritable and related to plant reproductive success (Navarro & Guitián 2002)
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