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Reproductive ecology of distylous Palicourea Padifolia (Rubiaceae) in a tropical montane cloud forest. I. Hummingbirds' effectiveness as pollen vectors¹

Departamento de Ecología y Comportamiento Animal, Instituto de Ecología, AC, Apartado Postal 63, Xalapa 91070, Veracruz, Mexico

The adaptiveness of distyly has been typically investigated in terms of its female function, specifically pollen receipt. However, pollen loads on stigmas can only provide moderate support for Darwin's hypothesis of the promotion of legitimate crosses. To determine the effectiveness of hummingbirds as pollen vectors between floral morphs and the consequences in terms of male (pollen transfer) and female function (pollen receipt) in Palicourea padifolia (Rubiaceae), floral visitors, their foraging modes, and temporal patterns of floral visitation were observed and documented. Differences in pollen and stigma morphology, pollen flow, rates of pollen deposition, and/or stigmatic pollen loads were then evaluated for their contribution toward differences in reproductive output between floral morphs. A pollination experiment with stuffed hummingbirds that varied in bill size was done to evaluate the contribution of bill variation toward differences between floral morphs in pollen receipt and pollen transfer and female reproductive output. Anthers of long-styled flowers contained significantly more and smaller pollen grains than those of short-styled flowers, independently of corolla and anther lengths. The shape and orientation of the stigma lobes differed between morphs and were significantly longer among short-styled flowers. Hummingbird visitation rates did not differ significantly between floral morphs, and foraging movements from focal plants towards neighboring plants were independent of floral morph. Stigmatic pollen loads under field conditions and those after controlled hummingbird visitation, along with rates of pollen accumulation through the day indicated that stigmas of short-styled flowers receive proportionately more legitimate (intermorph) pollen grains than did those of long-styled flowers. However, the species of hummingbird was marginally significant in explaining variation in pollen deposition on stigmas. Lastly, intermorph pollinations of P. padifolia resulted in significant differences in fruit production between floral morphs, independent of pollination treatment and pollinator species; short-styled flowers proportionately developed almost twice the number of fruits developed by long-styled flowers.

Key Words: distyly • hummingbird • Palicourea padifolia • pollen transfer • pollinator behavior • Rubiaceae • stigmatic pollen loads

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				A. R. Waites and J. Agren Stigma receptivity and effects of prior self-pollination on seed set in tristylous Lythrum salicaria (Lythraceae) Am. J. Botany, January 1, 2006; 93(1): 142 - 147. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. GONZALEZ, J. F. ORNELAS, and L. JIMENEZ Between-year Changes in Functional Gender Expression of Palicourea padifolia (Rubiaceae), a Distylous, Hummingbird-pollinated Shrub Ann. Bot., January 2, 2005; 95(2): 371 - 378. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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