Impact of plant flowering phenology on the cost/benefit balance in a nursery pollination mutualism, with honest males and cheating females

This study documents the flowering phenology and its potential consequences on a nursery pollination mutualism between a dioecious plant, in which honest male plants, but not cheating females, allow the specific pollinator to reproduce within inflorescences. Very few pollinators were found to emerge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biology 2010-05, Vol.23 (5), p.977-986
Main Author: DUFAY, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Arecaceae - physiology
Botany
Chamaerops humilis
cheating
deceit pollination
Derelomus chamaeropis
dioecy
Dispersal
Evolutionary biology
Female
Flowering
flowering phenology
Flowers & plants
Flowers - physiology
Fruit - growth & development
Fruits
Genetics
Life Sciences
Male
Mutualism
Phenology
Plant reproduction
Pollen
pollen limitation
Pollination
Pollination - physiology
Pollinators
Populations and Evolution
Reproduction - physiology
Selection, Genetic
Spain
Symbiosis
Weevils - growth & development
Weevils - physiology
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Summary:This study documents the flowering phenology and its potential consequences on a nursery pollination mutualism between a dioecious plant, in which honest male plants, but not cheating females, allow the specific pollinator to reproduce within inflorescences. Very few pollinators were found to emerge during plant anthesis, leading to a low (if any) potential benefit through pollen dispersal. This opens the question why male plants do not also cheat their pollinators. Female plants flowered late in the season, when many males had just achieved their own anthesis, which increased the efficiency of pollen transfer. Finally, some late-flowering males reached their anthesis simultaneously with females, which open the possibility for pollinator to choose between honest males and cheating females. Nevertheless, female plants were found to produce fruits, even though fruit production was limited by pollen (and pollinator) supply, meaning that cheating was not entirely retaliated by the mutualistic partner.
ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.01968.x