Meta-analysis reveals severe pollen limitation for the flowering plants growing in East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region

Xianfeng Jiang,Yanping Xie

doi:10.1186/s12898-020-00322-6

Abstract

BackgroundPollen limitation occurs widely and has an important effect on flowering plants. The East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region is a global biodiversity hotspot. However, to our knowledge, no study has synthetically assessed the degree of pollen limitation in this area. The present study aims to reveal the degree of pollen limitation for the flowering plants growing on East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains and to test whether the reproductive features or the elevation is closely correlated with the degree of pollen limitation in this area.ResultsWe complied data from 76 studies, which included 96 species and 108 independent data records. We found that the flowering plants in this area undergo severe pollen limitation [overall Hedges’ d = 2.004, with a 95% confidence interval (1.3264, 2.6743)] that is much higher than that of the flowering plants growing in many other regions around the world. The degree of pollen limitation was tested to determine the correlation with the capacity for autonomous self-reproduction and with the pollination pattern (generalized vs. specialized pollination) of plants. In addition, we found a clear relationship between elevation and the degree of pollen limitation, which indicates that plants might undergo more severe pollen limitation in relatively high places.ConclusionsThis paper is the first to address the severe pollen limitation of the flowering plants growing in East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region. Moreover, we reveal the positive correlation between elevation and the degree of pollen limitation.

Highlights

Pollen limitation occurs widely and has an important effect on flowering plants
We aim to answer the following specific scientific questions: (1) What is the degree of pollen limitation for the flowering plants growing on the East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains? (2) Which plant reproductive features significantly affect the degree of pollen limitation that a plant suffers? (3) Does the degree of pollen limitation show an obvious correlation with elevation in the East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region?
The degree of pollen limitation of the flowering plants in the East Himalaya‐Hengduan Mountains The overall effect size inferred by the traditional metaanalysis was 2.0004, with a 95% confidence interval [1.3264, 2.6743]

Summary

Introduction

Pollen limitation occurs widely and has an important effect on flowering plants. The East HimalayaHengduan Mountains region is a global biodiversity hotspot. Pollen limitation widely occurs and has been an essential clue for determining whether flowering plants undergo limitation from pollination services in natural habitats [1, 2]. Flowering plants, especially those obligately cross-fertilized, strongly rely on external pollination services for their sexual reproduction [3, 4]. Jiang and Xie BMC Ecol (2020) 20:53 nature Those plants grow in natural habitats, for example, Primula modesta, an obligate heterostylous outcrossing plant that is not pollination limited in domestic environment, but suffers severe pollen limitation in the field [10]. Pollen limitation has been studied among alpine flowering plants [14] and plants of the Atlantic forest in Brazil [15]

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