Abstract
Study of reproductive biology and pollination ecology helps in understanding the life history patterns of species. Such a study brings to light the bottlenecks, if any, on account of which the individuals of the species are not able to reproduce in nature and ultimately helps in planning appropriate conservation strategies for the species under threat. The present study was aimed at examining the morphological and reproductive variance in Berberis lycium, a threatened ecological specialist growing within shrubberies and open hillsides of the North-Western Himalayas in India. B. lycium displays three different variants. Flowering period ranges from February to September. Pollen viability as reported on fluorescein diacetate and acetocarmine treatments was highest for variant I, while maximum pollen output was obtained for variant III. Pollen pistil interaction is brought by the movement of anther towards stigma. Fluorescence microscopy of hand pollinated club shaped stigma shows that the germinating pollen form a ring over the receptive adaxial surface. Pollination syndrome is entomophily. Variant II attracts a significantly large number of pollinators from diverse insect families. Breeding experiments reflect that plants are self-compatible and cross fertile. Reproductive output (% fruit set) was highest for variant II followed by III and I, respectively. This investigation helped to understand the effect of different biotic and abiotic constraints on the phenology and reproductive biology of the plant. The information generated so will enable conservationists to design appropriate strategies for its long-term survival and sustenance in nature.
Highlights
IntroductionThe entire Himalayan region is a repository of high value medicinal plants and is considered as a global biodiversity hotspot
Our observations propose that the pollination syndrome of B. lycium is entomophilous; i.e., it is pollinated by insects
On the basis of the present study related to reproductive biology and pollination ecology of Berberis lycium, it is concluded that this plant species exhibits tremendous morphological variability as reflected through the occurrence of multiple variants
Summary
The entire Himalayan region is a repository of high value medicinal plants and is considered as a global biodiversity hotspot. Out of 18,440 plant species found in the Himalayan region, 8298 species are medicinally important [1,2]. Known as Indian barberry, it is an evergreen shrub belonging to family Berberidaceae. It is a sub-erect branched shrub growing to a height of 3–4 m. It is native to Nepal and is abundantly distributed in the Himalayas extending through West of Pakistan, North and Central India, Afghanistan and the entirety of Nepal [3].
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