Lepidoptera proboscis pollens are mainly derived from nectar

Abstract

The pollens which are rejected or ignored by the dry stigma can`t germinate since they haven`t acquired sugar solution from dry stigmas. But almost all research has ignored the participation of insects which may transport pollens from the nectar to stigmas, and that pollens may germinate on the dry stigma since they have soaked in the nectar. So, the key question is that whether insects carry pollens from nectar to the stigma. Since the adult Lepidoptera are important to the plant pollination and there is a general consensus that pollens are mainly deposited on the proboscis of adult Lepidoptera, and pollens are ubiquitous in the nectar of field flowers, we simulated the flower environment to conduct several groups of behavioral experiments in the adult Mythimna separata by controlling the presence, absence or movement of pollens in nectar, then counted and compared the proboscis pollens. We found that the pollens on the proboscis were mainly derived from the nectar. Our conclusion may contributes to the research of pollen germination on stigmas, especially the dry stigma, and also shows the importance of adult Lepidoptera to pollination, even supports the coevolution of Lepidoptera and angiosperm.