Abstract
Most of the flowering plants depend on pollinators, in different degrees, for their reproduction. The degree of pollinator dependence is especially important in exotic plants because it could determine their colonization success in new locations. The objective of this study was to determine the degree of pollinator dependence in five exotic entomophilous plant species in a Pampean grassland located in Sierra de Ventana. It was determined if the differences in dependency are related to the geographic location and the phylogeny of plant species. The plants species were Spartium junceum, Genista monspessulana, Prunus mahaleb, Rosa rubiginosa and Rubus ulmifolius. Sampling was carried out in the Ernesto Tornquist Provincial Park and in surrounding areas (Buenos Aires Province). During the flowering peak of each species and in different sites, two treatments were undertaken in pre-bagged flowers: self-pollination and cross-pollination. Also, others pre-bagged flowers were left without pollination as control. Later, the probability of fruit develop and seed set under the two treatments and the control were assessed. Finally, the results of this study were compared with studies carried out in other regions (except for R. ulmifolius). The studied plant species showed a varied response to pollinator dependence, from very dependent species, such as S. junceum, G. monspessulana and P. mahaleb, to low dependent species such as R. rubiginosa y R. ulmifolius. Our results indicate that pollinator dependence can be variable in plants species that are colonizing non-native habitats. Furthermore, there are variations in the degree of pollinator dependency according to the geographical area, except for R. rubiginosa, showing that the geographical location can influence the dependence on pollinators for woody plants.
Highlights
Área de estudioEl trabajo se realizó dentro del Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist (PPET), ubicado al sudoeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires (38°03 ́00 ́ ́S - 62°02 ́00 ́ ́ O) y en zonas aledañas a éste (38°5’32.93’’ S - 62°3’16.7’ O; 38°7’6.96’’ S 61°58’4.87’’ O)
Los sistemas reproductivos de las plantas varían de forma considerable entre la reproducción sexual y asexual, y abarcan desde especies altamente autoincompatibles hasta especies completamente autógamas (Barrett and Eckert 1990)
Para cada una de las especies de plantas se seleccionaron nueve sitios separados por una distancia mínima de 200 m, excepto para rosa mosqueta, para la cual solo se seleccionaron seis sitios
Summary
El trabajo se realizó dentro del Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist (PPET), ubicado al sudoeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires (38°03 ́00 ́ ́S - 62°02 ́00 ́ ́ O) y en zonas aledañas a éste (38°5’32.93’’ S - 62°3’16.7’ O; 38°7’6.96’’ S 61°58’4.87’’ O). El PPET cubre una extensión de 6700 ha, forma parte del Sistema de Ventania y representa uno de los escasos relictos de pastizal pampeano protegido dentro de la provincia (Bilenca and Miñarro 2004). Con una temperatura media anual de 14.6 °C (Frangi and Bottino 1995). Los tipos de vegetación dominante son estepas graminosas (Frangi and Bottino 1995) y comunidades edáficas de gramíneas y dicotiledóneas, con numerosos endemismos. Actualmente, dicha reserva de pastizal pampeano sufre un avance notorio por parte de especies de plantas leñosas exóticas, que lograron establecerse y aumentan sus densidades poblacionales año a año (Zalba and Villamil 2002; Sanhueza 2012; Ramírez 2020). El avance de especies exóticas constituye la principal amenaza para la conservación de la diversidad de flora y fauna nativa dentro del área protegida (Zalba and Villamil 2002)
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