Abstract
The reproductive characteristics and pollination system of Rhododendron semibarbatum were investigated at two sites in Honshu, Japan. This species is protandrous, partially self-incompatible at postzygotic stages, and requires outcrossing via pollinator visitation for effective seed production. The effective pollinators were two bumblebee species: males of Bombus ardens at Miyama, and workers of Bombus honshuensis at Agematsu. The flowers possess two staminodes ornamented with whitish hairs, which do not reflect UV light, on the filaments. Nectar was secreted continuously during the flowering period, and nectar production rate differed between the sites. Visitation by B. ardens males was more frequent and varied among and within days, whereas that by B. honshuensis workers was less frequent and constant throughout the observation period. A single visit by a B. ardens male was more effective for seed production than visitation by a B. honshuensis worker, resulting in pollen limitation in the latter case. Differences in resource requirements between the two pollinators, representing different castes, might affect their behavior, resulting in B. ardens males contributing to more effective seed production.
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Acknowledgments
We thank J. Arai for his help in locating suitable field sites, A. Shimizu for identification of insects and M. Wakabayashi, H. Kato and N. Fujii for encouragement and comments on this study, and J. Yokoyama and Y. Takami for their critical reading of the manuscript. This work was partly supported by the Fujiwara Natural History Foundation.
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Table S1. Nectar volume (μL) and nectar sucrose (mg) produced by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day’s flowers after anthesis. Mean ± 1SD (N of flowers) is shown. (DOC 45 kb)
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Ono, A., Dohzono, I. & Sugawara, T. Bumblebee pollination and reproductive biology of Rhododendron semibarbatum (Ericaceae). J Plant Res 121, 319–327 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-008-0155-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-008-0155-y