Floral synomone diversification of Bulbophyllum sibling species (Orchidaceae) in attracting fruit fly pollinators
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Several species of insects captured while feeding on flowers of the legumes Daviesia virgata and D. mimosoides carried pollinia of the orchid Diuris maculata on their heads. In contrast, insects were difficult to capture on Diuris maculata due to the very low frequency and short duration of visits. More pollinaria were removed from the flowers than pollinia deposited. Pollen loads carried by insects bearing orchid pollinia were almost exclusively from Daviesia spp. and Pultenaea scabra. These data, together with the morphological similarity of the flowers of D. maculata to those of Daviesia spp. and Pultenaea scabra, indicate that the orchid attracts pollinators by floral mimicry.
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The study of specialized interactions between species is crucial to our understanding of processes in evolutionary ecology due to their profound effect on life cycles and diversification. Obligate pollination by a single wasp species is rare in Orchidaceae except in species with sexually deceptive flowers that are pollinated exclusively by male insects. The object of this study was to document pollination of the food-deceptive flowers of Coelogyne fimbriata, a species pollinated exclusively by female wasps. Field observations and experiments were conducted in two populations of C. fimbriata. Floral phenology was recorded, and functional floral architecture was measured. Insect visitors to flowers were observed from 2005 to 2007. Bioassay experiments were conducted to check whether the floral odour attracted pollinators. Natural (insect-mediated) rates of pollinarium removal, pollinium deposition on stigmas, and fruit set were recorded. To determine the importance of cross-pollination, the breeding system was assessed via controlled, hand-pollination experiments. Two populations of C. fimbriata with fragrant, nectarless flowers are pollinated by females of the same Vespula species (Vespidae, Hymenoptera). Experiments on wasps show that they crawl towards the source of the odour. The flowering period appears to coincide with an annual peak in Vespula colony expansion when additional workers forage for carbohydrates. Rates of pollinarium removal (0·069–0·918) and pollinium deposition on stigmas (0·025–0·695) are extremely variable. However, fruit set in C. fimbriata is always low (0·014–0·069) and appears to be based on self-incompatibility coupled with intraclonal (geitonogamous) deposition of pollinia. Coelogyne fimbriata and Steveniella satyrioides are now the only orchid species known to have food-deceptive flowers that are pollinated exclusively by eusocial, worker wasps. In C. fimbriata, floral odour appears to be the major attractant. Sub-populations may go through flowering seasons when pollinators are abundant or infrequent, but fruit set always remains low because the obligate pollinator does not often appear to transfer pollinaria between intercompatible genets.
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Abstract The genus Vanilla is the most diverse in V anilloideae, with ca 90 species distributed among tropical regions. Despite their economic importance, studies on pollination of Vanilla are very scarce and data on pollinators of species endemic to B razil are lacking. Based on fieldwork and laboratory investigations, the floral biology of V. edwallii was studied. The pollinators and pollination process were recorded at the S erra do J api reserve, state of S ão P aulo, southeastern B razil, and the presence of floral reward was also investigated. Vanilla edwallii blooms in summer. The lateral inflorescences produce up to four pale green flowers. The white labellum is united to the base of the column forming a mentum. In the studied population V. edwallii is pollinated by Epicharis (Hoplepicharis) affini s , where the males exhibit a territorial behavior, defending flowers from other possible flower visitors. The pollen is deposited on the scutellum of bees when they abandon the flower. The mentum region is dry, suggesting no nectar production. The only secretory structures are osmophores dispersed on the inner surface of the lip responsible for production of a sweet fragrance, which together with color and morphology of flowers is related to bee attraction. The labellum is rich in mucilaginous cells, while the mucilaginous substance is retained inside the cells. The histochemical analysis also detected the presence of phenolic compounds and starch concentrated mainly at the adaxial surface of the lip and around the vascular bundles.
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We studied the floral biology of 12 populations of five rupicolous Pleurothallis (Orchidaceae) species occurring in campo rupestre vegetation at nine localities in Brazil. All of these species are pollinated by flies belonging to the families Chloropidae and Phoridae. In the five Pleurothallis species studied, all conspecific populations attracted the same pollinator species. All pollinators were females; they laid eggs in flowers of the two nectarless species, but never in the flowers of nectar-presenting species. The two pairs of Pleurothallis species with similar flower morphologies and odours attracted the same pollinators: P. johannensis - P. fabiobarrosii , pollinated by Tricimba sp. (Chloropidae) and P. teres - P. ochreata pollinated by Megaselia spp. (Phoridae). There was no overlap in the distribution of the Pleurothallis species that shared pollinators. Despite similarities in floral morphology and odour, genetic data show that these species pairs are not each other's closest relatives. We hypothesize that these similarities are due to convergence in allopatric species that evolved similar pollination mechanisms. Conversely, there are reasons to believe that adaptation to different pollination mechanisms occurred in the closely related species P. johannensis and P. teres . Copyright 2001 Annals of Botany Company
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Bactrocera Dorsalis
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