Flies (Diptera) as pollinators of two dioecious plants: behaviour and implications for plant mating

2007 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Borkent ◽  
Lawrence D. Harder

AbstractWe consider the role of generalist Diptera in the pollination of two dioecious plant species, Clematis ligusticifolia Nutt. (Ranunculaceae) and Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt. (Elaeagnaceae). In particular, we assess (i) whether or not generalist pollinators are unable to distinguish between the sexes of dioecious species and so visit the sexes at equivalent rates, and (ii) the number of flowers that generalist flies visit and revisit during a foraging bout, which would affect self-pollination if plants were hermaphroditic. We determined the visitation rate to each plant species during 10 min periods and recorded the number of flowers that individual pollinators visited and revisited per foraging bout. Diptera were the main pollinators, visiting both sexes at similar rates for both plant species. The main visitors to C. ligusticifolia were muscoid flies (small and large), Culicidae, and halictid bees. The number of flowers visited in this species varied with pollinator group, but groups did not differ in the frequency of revisits. Visitors to S. canadensis were primarily Syrphidae and Empididae. Neither the number of flowers visited nor the number of revisits differed between these two pollinator groups. The results for each plant species are discussed and contrasted, particularly with other studies of the behaviour of generalist and specialist pollinators. We compare the observed pollinator behaviours, and their implications for plant mating, with the various theories of the role of pollinators in the evolution of the dioecious breeding system in plants.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Avila-Sakar ◽  
Cora Anne Romanow

Defensive traits may evolve differently between sexes in dioecious plant species. Our current understanding of this process hinges on a partial view of the evolution of resistance traits that may result in male-biased herbivory in dioecious populations. Here, we present a critical summary of the current state of the knowledge of herbivory in dioecious species and propose alternative evolutionary scenarios that have been neglected. These scenarios consider the potential evolutionary and functional determinants of sexual dimorphism in patterns of resource allocation to reproduction, growth, and defence. We review the evidence upon which two previous reviews of sex-biased herbivory have concluded that male-biased herbivory is a rule for dioecious species, and we caution readers about a series of shortcomings of many of these studies. Lastly, we propose a minimal standard protocol that should be followed in any studies that intend to elucidate the (co)evolution of interactions between dioecious plants and their herbivores.


2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1913) ◽  
pp. 20191805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Akagi ◽  
Deborah Charlesworth

One reason for studying sex chromosomes of flowering plants is that they have often evolved separate sexes recently, and the genomes of dioecious species may not yet have evolved adaptations to their changes from the ancestral state. An unstudied question concerns the relative importance of such adaptation, versus the effects of the mutations that led to separate sexes in the first place. Theoretical models for such an evolutionary change make the prediction that the mutations that created males must have sexually antagonistic effects, not only abolishing female functions, but also increasing male functions relative to the ancestral functional hermaphrodites. It is important to test this critical assumption. Moreover, the involvement of sexual antagonism also implies that plant sex-determining genes may directly cause some of the sexual dimorphisms observed in dioecious plants. Sex-determining genes are starting to be uncovered in plants, including species in the genera Diospyros and Actinidia (families Ebenaceae and Actinidiaceae, respectively). Here, we describe transgenic experiments in which the effects of the very different male-determining genes of these two dioecious species were studied in a non-dioecious plant, Nicotiana tabacum . The results indeed support the critical assumption outlined above.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-384
Author(s):  
Elena Tello-García ◽  
Nancy Gamboa-Badilla ◽  
Enrique Álvarez ◽  
Laura Fuentes ◽  
Corina Basnou ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Yletyinen ◽  
George L. W. Perry ◽  
Olivia R. Burge ◽  
Norman W. H. Mason ◽  
Philip Stahlmann‐Brown

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1736) ◽  
pp. 2269-2274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Bebber ◽  
Mark A. Carine ◽  
Gerrit Davidse ◽  
David J. Harris ◽  
Elspeth M. Haston ◽  
...  

Discovering biological diversity is a fundamental goal—made urgent by the alarmingly high rate of extinction. We have compiled information from more than 100 000 type specimens to quantify the role of collectors in the discovery of plant diversity. Our results show that more than half of all type specimens were collected by less than 2 per cent of collectors. This highly skewed pattern has persisted through time. We demonstrate that a number of attributes are associated with prolific plant collectors: a long career with increasing productivity and experience in several countries and plant families. These results imply that funding a small number of expert plant collectors in the right geographical locations should be an important element in any effective strategy to find undiscovered plant species and complete the inventory of the world flora.


2022 ◽  
Vol 295 ◽  
pp. 110839
Author(s):  
Pablo Gómez Barreiro ◽  
Efisio Mattana ◽  
David Coleshill ◽  
Elena Castillo-Lorenzo ◽  
Sidi Sanogo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Pál ◽  
O. Gondor ◽  
T. Janda

Low temperature is one of the most important limiting factors for plant growth throughout the world. Exposure to low temperature may cause various phenotypic and physiological symptoms, and may result in oxidative stress, leading to loss of membrane integrity and to the impairment of photosynthesis and general metabolic processes. Salicylic acid (SA), a phenolic compound produced by a wide range of plant species, may participate in many physiological and metabolic reactions in plants. It has been shown that exogenous SA may provide protection against low temperature injury in various plant species, while various stress factors may also modify the synthesis and metabolism of SA. In the present review, recent results on the effects of SA and related compounds in processes leading to acclimation to low temperatures will be discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document