Flies as pollinators of melittophilous Salvia species (Lamiaceae)

Abstract

Flies have been found to be pollinators in primarily bee-pollinated Salvia species. This result demonstrates the potential of a given "melittoid" flower construction to broaden the range of pollinators to guarantee successful pollination and seed production. Though bees, particularly Bombus terrestris, were more efficient than flies, the study shows that flies significantly contribute to pollen transfer in Salvia.

Tracking temporal shifts in area, biomes, and pollinators in the radiation ofSalvia(sages) across continents: leveraging anchored hybrid enrichment and targeted sequence data

“…amasiaca (sect. Hemisphace , “Heterosphace ”) in Old World species from central Anatolia in Southwest Asia (Celep et al., ).…”

“…Salvia L. (sages, Lamiaceae), with a nearly worldwide distribution (Fig. ), multiple diversity hotspots, extraordinary evolutionary success in terms of both numbers of species and ecological amplitude, diverse vegetative and floral forms, and a unique staminal architecture to promote outcrossing provides an excellent model to address these questions (Claßen‐Bockhoff et al., , ; Walker et al., , ; Walker and Sytsma, ; Wester and Claßen‐Bockhoff, ; Takano and Okada, ; Jenks et al., ; Li et al., ; Wang et al., ; Celep et al., ; Drew et al., ; Will and Claßen‐Bockhoff, ). Salvia (sensu Drew et al., ), defined in part by only two stamens with at least some elongation in the anther connective, is sister to a relatively depauperate four‐stamen lineage comprising Lepechinia Willd.…”

“…Perhaps more surprisingly, Salvia has apparently evolved variants of a staminal lever mechanism via an elongated connective independently in each of these three geographic regions (Claßen‐Bockhoff et al., , ; Walker et al., , ; Walker and Sytsma, ; Drew et al., ; Hu et al., ). In this background of geographic and floral diversification, Salvia has radiated into different biomes and adapted to different pollinators (Wester and Claßen‐Bockhoff, , , ; Claßen‐Bockhoff, ; Celep et al., ; Walker et al., ; Fragoso‐Martínez et al., ).…”

Evolution of trichomes and its systematic significance inSalvia(Mentheae; Nepetoideae; Lamiaceae)

“…(Dizkirici et al ., ). In western Asia, the centre of diversity of the genus is found in Turkey with 100 species (Hedge, ; Celep et al ., 2014a, b; Celep, Dirmenci & Güner, ), followed by Iran with 62 species (Hedge, ; Assadi, ; Mozaffarian, ; Jamzad, ). Species diversity in Salvia can partly be explained by the occupation of different habitats and adaptation to different ecological conditions, e.g.…”

“…The presence of nectar in a deep floral tube, pollen sacs and stigma located below the upper lip and a landing place formed by the lower lip of the > 950 Salvia spp. are consistent with the bee pollination syndrome (Claßen‐Bockhoff, Wester & Tweraser, ; Celep et al ., 2014a, b).…”