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Nectar production, reproductive success and the evolution of generalised pollination within a specialised pollen-rewarding plant family: a case study using Miconia theizans

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Abstract

Generalist plant–pollinator interactions are prevalent in nature. Here, we untangle the role of nectar production in the visitation and pollen release/deposition in Miconia theizans, a nectar-rewarding plant within the specialised pollen-rewarding plant family Melastomataceae. We described the visitation rate, nectar dynamics and pollen release from the poricidal anthers and deposition onto stigmas during flower anthesis. Afterwards, we used a linear mixed model selection approach to understand the relationship between pollen and nectar availability and insect visitation rate and the relationship between visitation rate and reproductive success. Miconia theizans was visited by 86 insect species, including buzzing and non-buzzing bees, wasps, flies, hoverflies, ants, beetles, hemipterans, cockroaches and butterflies. The nectar produced explained the visitation rate, and the pollen release from the anthers was best explained by the visitation rate of pollinivorous species. However, the visitation rates could not predict pollen deposition onto stigmas. Nectar production may explain the high insect diversity and led to an increase in reproductive success, even with unpredictable pollen deposition, indicating the adaptive value of a generalised pollination system.

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Acknowledgements

The authors kindly thank our friends for help in the field and lab: Pedro J. Bergamo, Maraísa Braga, Priscila Vieira, Camila Oliveira, Rafael Pereira and specially Carine Carriere and Cristiano Silva. We thank Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP—for funding support to V.L.G.B. (Proc. 2010/51494-5), A.R.R. (Proc. 2009/54491-0), J.O. (Visiting Researcher—Proc. 2013/14442-5) and M.S. (2012/50425-5). MS thanks the funding support from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq (303084/2011-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13.083-970, Brazil

    Vinícius L. G. de Brito

  2. Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38 400-902, Brazil

    Vinícius L. G. de Brito

  3. Curso de Licenciatura em Educação do Campo, Faculdade Interdisciplinar de Humanidades, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, 39100-000, Brazil

    André R. Rech

  4. Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group, School of Science and Technology, The University of Northampton, Avenue Campus, Northampton, NN2 7AL, UK

    Jeff Ollerton

  5. Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13.083-970, Brazil

    Marlies Sazima

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  1. Vinícius L. G. de Brito
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  2. André R. Rech
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Correspondence to Vinícius L. G. de Brito.

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Handling editor: Pablo Vargas.

Electronic supplementary material

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Information on Electronic Supplementary Material

Online Resource 1. Taxa visiting Miconia theizans flowers, the reward(s) consumed and their relative frequency at Serra do Mar State Park (Santa Virgínia station) São Paulo, Brazil.

Online Resource 2. The relationship between nectar volume and the filter paper weight used in the field to estimate the nectar volume produced by flowers of Miconia theizans at Serra do Mar State Park (Santa Virgínia station) São Paulo, Brazil.

Online Resource 3. Weather conditions during field data collection of Miconia theizans at Serra do Mar State Park (Santa Virgínia station) São Paulo, Brazil.

Online Resource 4. Results of selection of the best fitting linear mixed model to visitation rate on Miconia theizans at Serra do Mar State Park (Santa Virgínia station), São Paulo, Brazil.

Online Resource 5. Results of selection of the best fitting linear mixed model to pollen release and deposition of Miconia theizans at Serra do Mar State Park (Santa Virgínia station), São Paulo, Brazil.

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de Brito, V.L.G., Rech, A.R., Ollerton, J. et al. Nectar production, reproductive success and the evolution of generalised pollination within a specialised pollen-rewarding plant family: a case study using Miconia theizans . Plant Syst Evol 303, 709–718 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-017-1405-z

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