POLLINATION ECOLOGY OF LABIATAE IN A PHRYGANIC (EAST MEDITERRANEAN) ECOSYSTEM

Abstract

This study was conducted in a phryganic (East Mediterranean) ecosystem at Daphni, near Athens, Greece. The Labiatae, represented by ten species belonging to nine genera, dominate in this ecosystem type. They flower from February to July. Both flowering time and nectar quantity are related to the species ability to tolerate intense water stress. Labiatae are visited by 201 insect species. Of these, 43 are exclusively supported by the family and 37 are monotropous. Solitary bees (mainly Anthophoridae, Megachilidae, Halictidae) constitute 47.3% of pollinators. The family is important in hosting specialized bees (15 species) in phrygana, particularly late in the flowering season. Labiatae species form two equally represented groups in this system; namely, the late winter‐early spring (early) flowering, visited by relatively few pollinator species, and the late spring‐summer (late) flowering species, visited by numerous pollinators. This temporal distinction is accompanied by different pollination profiles that include duration of anthesis, reward to pollinators, floral attractiveness, and flower character differentiation. All of these attributes are maximized in the early flowering period. This strategy suggests a mechanism for resource partitioning at a time when the pollinator resource is limited and competition for the services of pollinators is expected to be intense. Contrary to the current theory concerning cornucopian species, the copiously rewarding flowers of Labiatae in phrygana are not those abundantly serviced by pollinators.