Communities of flower visitors of <i>Uvariopsis dioica</i> (Annonaceae) in lowland forests of Mt. Cameroon, with notes on its potential pollinators

Mertens, Jan E. J.; Tropek, Robert; Dzekashu, Fairo F.; Maicher, Vincent; Fokam, Eric B.; Janeček, Štěpán

doi:10.1111/aje.12429

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…When two flowers were found on a single experimental plant, we applied the same treatment for both. Each experimental flower was recorded by a security camera (VIVOTEK IB8367-T with IR night vision) for 24 h following Mertens et al (2018); however, most of the flowers were short-lived and closed at the beginning of the night after ~12 h of recording. Due to the short lifespan of flowers, all their visitors were certainly observed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ultraviolet reflectance and pattern in the pollination system of Hypoxis camerooniana (Hypoxidaceae)

et al. 2019

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Apart from floral morphology and colours perceived by the human eye, ultraviolet (UV) reflectance acts as an important visual advertisement of numerous flowering plant species for pollinators. However, the effect of UV signalling on attracting pollinators of particular plant species is still insufficiently studied, especially in the Afrotropics. Therefore, we studied the pollination system of Hypoxis camerooniana in montane grasslands of Mount Cameroon, West/Central Africa. We focused mainly on the effects of the flowers’ UV reflectance on its visitors. We experimentally removed UV reflection from petals either completely or partially. Thereafter, flower visitors were recorded and pistils were collected post-flowering to quantify germinated pollen tubes per treatments. The most important visitors were bees, followed by flies. Due to their contacts with reproductive organs bees are considered as the primary pollinators. Visitation rates were lower when UV reflectance was completely removed, whereas the decrease of frequency on half-treated flowers did not differ significantly from control treatments. The complete removal of UV also affected bees’ landing behaviour, but not that of flies. We showed that the presence of UV reflectance is more important than UV pattern for bees visiting flowers of H. camerooniana. We hypothesize that exploiting all flowers irrespective of their pattern can be more efficient for pollinators in the open grasslands of high altitudes to spot these relatively scarce flowers by their UV reflectance. Furthermore, we highlight the necessity of both experimental and natural controls in similar studies to control for additional effects of the used UV manipulations.Many plants advertise their flowers with UV reflectance visible to their insect visitors. By manipulating the UV reflectance and pattern of Hypoxis camerooniana in the Afromontane grasslands of Mount Cameroon, we have shown how crucial it is for the predominant visitor, bees. Both bees' preferences for flowers and their behaviour during visits are influenced by changes in UV reflectance. However, the presence of some UV signal is more important than the specific pattern. Especially in montane grasslands with higher UV irradiation, the UV floral colours are important for recognition of flowers by potential pollinators.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of ultraviolet reflectance and pattern in the pollination system of Hypoxis camerooniana (Hypoxidaceae)

et al. 2019

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“…We believe, however, that the loss was not substantial because we found similar results in two other cases of cockroach pollination (Nagamitsu & Inoue ; Mertens et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…To date, cockroach pollination has only been described a few times and never in such detail as provided here (Nagamitsu & Inoue ; Kawakita & Kato ; Mertens et al . ; Suetsugu ). We described all flower visitors and determined those that actually pollinated C. blattophila flowers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Several cockroach species were observed on flowers, but only one ( Stayella rohdei ) carried pollen on its legs (Mertens et al . ). The efficiency of cockroaches in pollinating plants was not determined in any of these studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Mertens et al . () recently proposed that cockroaches and crickets pollinate Uvariopsis dioica ( Annonaceae ), a monoecious tree with cauliflorous flowers from Cameroon. In their study, cockroaches frequently touched the reproductive organs of flowers while feeding on exudates produced near the base of the perianth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pollination efficiency of cockroaches and other floral visitors of Clusia blattophila

et al. 2019

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Cockroaches have rarely been documented as pollinators. In this paper we examine whether this is because they might be inefficient at pollination compared to other pollinators. Clusia blattophila, a dioecious shrub growing on isolated rocky outcrops in French Guiana, is pollinated by Amazonina platystylata cockroaches and provides a valuable system for the study of cockroach pollination efficiency.• We examined the species composition of the visitor guild and visitation rates by means of camcorder recordings and visitor sampling. Then, we investigated the capacity for pollen transfer of principal visitors and found correlations between visitation rates and pollen loads on stigmas. In an exclusion experiment we determined the contributions of individual species to pollination success.• Amazonina platystylata, crickets and two species of Diptera transferred pollen, but the number of transferred pollen grains was only related to visitation rates in the case of cockroaches. Crickets visited and rarely carried pollen. Dipterans were as frequent as cockroaches, carried similar pollen loads, but transferred much less pollen. An estimated 41% and 17% of ovules were pollinated by cockroaches and dipterans, respectively. The remaining ovules were not pollinated. There was no spatial variation in pollinator guild composition, but cockroaches visited flowers less frequently at the smaller study site.• We demonstrate that cockroaches pollinate a large proportion of ovules. Their pollination service is not confined to one study site and, unlike that provided by dipterans, is not limited to certain years. We suggest that cockroach pollination has been overlooked and that cockroach-pollinated plants, which share certain floral features, possess adaptations to pollination by cockroaches.Plant Biology 21 (2019) 753-761

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Specialized cockroach pollination in the rare and endangered plant Vincetoxicum hainanense in China

Xiong

Ollerton

Liede‐Schumann

et al. 2020

American J of Botany

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Species of Apocynaceae are pollinated by a diverse assemblage of animals. Here we report the first record of specialized cockroach pollination in the family, involving an endangered climbing vine species, Vincetoxicum hainanense in China. Experiments were designed to provide direct proof of cockroach pollination and compare the effectiveness of other flower visitors. METHODS: We investigated the reproductive biology, pollination ecology, pollinaria removal, pollinia insertion, and fruit set following single visits by the most common insects. In addition, we reviewed reports of cockroaches as pollinators of other plants and analyzed the known pollination systems in Vincetoxicum in a phylogenetic context. RESULTS: The small, pale green flowers of V. hainanense opened during the night. The flowers were not autogamous, but were self-compatible. Flower visitors included beetles, flies, ants and bush crickets, but the most effective pollinator was the cockroach Blattella bisignata, the only visitor that carried pollen between plants. Less frequent and effective pollinators are ants and Carabidae. Plants in this genus are predominantly pollinated by flies, moths and wasps. CONCLUSIONS: Globally, only 11 plant species are known to be cockroach-pollinated. Because their range of floral features encompass similarities and differences, defining a "cockroach pollination syndrome" is difficult. One commonality is that flowers are often visited by insects other than cockroaches, such as beetles, that vary in their significance as pollinators. Cockroach pollination is undoubtedly more widespread than previously thought and requires further attention.

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Communities of flower visitors of Uvariopsis dioica (Annonaceae) in lowland forests of Mt. Cameroon, with notes on its potential pollinators

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

The role of ultraviolet reflectance and pattern in the pollination system of Hypoxis camerooniana (Hypoxidaceae)

The role of ultraviolet reflectance and pattern in the pollination system of Hypoxis camerooniana (Hypoxidaceae)

Pollination efficiency of cockroaches and other floral visitors of Clusia blattophila

Specialized cockroach pollination in the rare and endangered plant Vincetoxicum hainanense in China

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