Pollination Biology or Ecology

Including examples from local flora and David Attenborough’s Private Life of Plants

Abiotic Pollination- uses a nonliving vector- Usually considered to be a metabolically wasteful process

Two types:1. Anemophily- “wind lover”= wind pollination2. Hydrophily- “water lover” = water pollination

Anemophily-major type of abiotic pollination

Usual Floral Morphology-incomplete flowers that often lack perianth-color and scent lacking-flowers in inflorescences elevated above the vegetation-flowers often open before leaves are produced-large quantities of smooth, dry pollen produced

Anemophily is common in many families:Poaceae Page 1223 of SMIFNCT-inflorescence-spike or panicle, spikelet, glumes, floret, lemma, and palea

Pg 78 and 81 SMIFNCT

-color photographs showing grass stamens with two florets in spikelets arranged in spike-like branches

Trees with catkins illustrated in SMIFNCT:Fagaceae Pg. 721 monoecious

Juglandaceae Pg. 751 monoecious

Salicaceae Pg 981 dioecious

Hydrophily-rarer type of abiotic pollination

Usual Floral Morphology:

Example of Families with Hydrophily

Ceratophyllaceae (Coon-tail) Pg 529-530 SMIFNCT

-mostly asexually reproduces by fragmentation

-during sexual reproduction, anthers break off and float to surface releasing pollen that sinks to the female flowers that grow under the water

-rare pollination in one of the most primitive groups magnoliophytes

Ceratophyllum demersum with underwater female flowers. Photo from Plants of the Coastal Bend by Roy Lehman, Ruth O’Brien, and Tammy White

Hydrocharitaceae (Waterweed) Pgs 1166- 1172 SMIFNCT

Vallisnera (ribbonweed) or Egeria (Elodea is used as common name but is actually genus name of another plant that does not occur in Texas)

-common aquarium plants introduced into streams and lakes of Cross Timbers. Vallisnera is native in some E and SE Texas waters

-Female flowers float on surface and male flowers break off at surface (great fish food) and float to female. Once pollinated long peduncles recoil pulling flowers underwater to form fruits

Example of Families with Hydrophily

http://plants.usda.gov/

Egeria densa

Biotic Pollination-Co-evolution between plant and animal based on mutual benefit(mutualism) or where the plant benefits and animal is harmed (parasitism or deceit pollination)

Mutualistic relationships based on three major rewards to animals:

Invertebrate Pollinators -Flies (Dipterophily)

Hover FliesUsual Floral Morphology:Long tubular flowers with corolla marked as a guide for fly’s siphoning mouthparts on Private Life of Plants video

Carrion Flies (Sapromyophily) “flies that are decay lovers”

Usual Floral Morphology:

Examples of Sapromyophiles

Deadhorse Arum Araceae Pg 1090 SMIFNCT

-deceit pollination with spathe and spadix that attracted carrion flies in gull rookeries in Mediterranean on Private Life of Plants video

Stapelia Asclepiadaceae Pg 274 SMIFNCT-deceit pollination as attract carrion flies that remove pollinia from corona of large purple flowers that smell like decaying protein

Examples of Sapromyophiles

Aristolochia Aristolochiaceae Pg 272 SMIFNCT

-deceit pollination with bilateral perianth with hairy opening and odors that mimics a corpse

Example of a saprophile “decay lover”

Titan Arum on Private Life of Plants video-has sapromyophilic floral morphology and deceit pollination but attracts sweat bees and dung beetles instead flies

-has a spathe and spadix and is the world’s largest unbranched inflorescence (3 meters tall and one meter wide)-produces a dead fish odor

-large inflorescence to distribute odor across isolated islands of Sumatra (south of Thailand in Indian Ocean)

Invertebrate Pollinators -Beetles (Coleopterophily)

Usual Floral Morphology:

Examples of plant families with Coleopterophily

Magnoliaceae Magnolia-radial symmetry with many free parts and lots pollen-mutualism

Examples of plant families with Coleopterophily

Some species in Nymphaceae Nymphaea Pgs. 101, 842-845 SMIFNCT-mutualistic

Examples of plant families with Coleopterophily

Papaveraceae Pgs. 872-877 SMIFNCTArgemone (prickly poppy)-mutualistic

Invertebrate Pollinators -Bees and Wasps (Hymenopterophily)

Bee Pollination (Melittophily = “bee lover”)-20,000 different species of bee pollinators

Usual Floral Morphology:

-some with spurs to hold nectar and oil (oil collecting bee with hairy legs that pollinates wild snapdragon in South Africa on Private Life of Plants video)

Examples of MelittophilyScrophulariaceae Penstemon including P. cobaeaPgs. 102, 1006-1007 SMIFNCT

-sterile stamen that is pubescent called a staminode gives them their common name beardtongue-bilabiate with staminode acting like a “tail hook” for bees-white to lavender-blue corolla with purple and UV nectar guides-mutualistic

Examples of MelittophilyFabaceae Lupinus texensis bluebonnet SMIFNCT Pgs. 97, 671-673-blue papillonaceous flowers-mutualistic

Acacia farnesiana huisache SMIFNCT Pgs. 624, 627-small regular flowers in a head with 20-40 yellow stamens per flower-bees use stamens as a tailhook and use buzz pollination to Remove pollen from stamens like the bees did with South African gentian on Private Life of Plants video -mutualistic

Examples of MelittophilyOrchidaceae Calopogon tuberosus Pgs. 1214,1217 SMIFNCT

-Thien & Marcks (Canadian Journal of Botany1972) found that the brush of hairs on the lip apparently serves as a "pseudopollen" lure, attracting naive, recently emerged bumblebees. The bees, expecting a reward of nectar and/or pollen, land on the hairs. At this point, the hinged labellum swings down under the weight of the bee and positions the bee on the column, where pollinia can be placed on its back. If the bee already carries pollinia, it will contact the stigma and thus pollinate the plant.-deceit pollination or parasitism

Examples of MelittophilyOrchidaceaePrivate Life of Plants videoSouth African orchids offer inedible oil that bees use to make phermones that attract female bees. Each species of bee has its own species of orchid that it uses to make its own “brand” of perfume. In the process of gathering oil, pollinia are attached for cross pollination.-mutualism

European bee mimic orchids use mimicry and deceit pollination. Flowers are bilateral, hairy, and colored and smell like a female bee. When they try and mate with the flower pollinia are attached for cross pollination.-deceit pollination or parasitism

Invertebrate Pollinators -Bees and Wasps (Hymenopterophily) WaspsFloral morphology is highly variable.Examples from Private Life of Plants video from Australia

Ficus sps. (figs) Pgs. 829-830 SMIFNCT-flowers enclosed in inflorescence have eggs that hatch andmales mate with females and die. Females leave inflorescence and lay eggs in another inflorescence insuring cross pollination-mutualism

Hammer orchids mimic female wingless wasps. As male tries to fly away and mate with bilateral, hairy mimic, pollinia are attached-deceit pollination or parasitism

Invertebrate Pollinators -Butterflies and Moths (Lepidopterophily)

Floral Morphologies:Butterfly Moth

Examples of butterfly pollinated plants

Justicia Pgs 213, 215 SMIFNCT-mutualism

Mountain Pride Butterfly from South Africa on Private Lives of Plants video pollinates tubular red flowers of :Crassulaceae- Crassula with red tubular flower on videoIridaceae- Gladiolus with red tubular flower on videoOrchidaceae- Red orchid at base of waterfall that attached pollinia onto butterfly -all mutualistic

Examples of moth pollinated plants

Liliaceae (Agavaceae on pgs. 108, 1082-1085 SMIFNCT)Yucca-carries balls of pollen from one plant to another and cross-pollinates flowers. Lays eggs in one locule of ovary and larvae consume seeds that develop there. Other 2/3s of seeds are dispersed. -mutualistic

Examples of moth pollinated plantsOnagraceaeOenothera Pgs. 101, 862-865 SMIFNCT-mutualism

SolanaceaeDatura Pgs. 87, 1018-1021 SMIFNCT-mutualism

Vertebrate Pollinators-rarer than invertebrates -mainly birds and bats-in Private Life of Plants video, mice pollinate downward growing flowers of African Protea and lemurs with long tongues and handspollinate stout, tubular flowers of Madagascar Traveler’s Palm

-in New Zealand flowering plants, because there are no native mammals except bats, reptiles, such as geckos serve as pollinators

Vertebrate Pollinators Birds (Ornithophily)Usual Floral Morphology:

Examples of OrnithophilyScrophulariaceaePenstemon red beardtongue of Southwest USA-mutualism with hummingbirds

Examples of OrnithophilyFabaceaeErythrina coral bean Pg. 89, 658-659-mutualism with hummingbirds

Examples of OrnithophilyRanunculaceaeAquilegia red columbine Pgs. 78, 918-920-mutualism with hummingbirds

Examples of OrnithophilyPrivate Life of Plants video1. Stained or scarlet-glass window plant of South America withred patches in leaves and reduced flowers

2. Proteas and aloes in South Africa with red or red-orange, tubular corollas

3. Kangaroo Paw plant of Australia brushes pollen on the honey eater bird as it harvests nectar from bilateral flowers

Bat Pollination (Chiropterophily)Usual Floral Morphology:

Examples of ChiropterophilyCactaceae-mutualism with Saguaro or Organ-pipe cacti of southwestern USA-pollinated by nectar feeding bats that migrate along the path of the blooming cacti.

Examples of Chiropterophily

Example from Private Life of Plants videoDurion Tree of Borneo (south Thailand in Indian Ocean) ispollinated by fruit bats