Understanding the functional consequences of biodiversity loss is a major goal of ecology. Animal-mediated pollination is an essential ecosystem function and service provided to mankind. However, little is known how pollinator diversity could affect pollination services. Using a substitutive design, we experimentally manipulated functional group (FG) and species richness of pollinator communiti...

PREMISE OF THE STUDY The role of pollen flow within and between cultivated and wild tropical crop species is little known. To study the pollen flow of cacao, we estimated the degree of self-pollination and pollen dispersal distances as well as gene flow between wild and cultivated cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). METHODS We studied pollen flow and genetic diversity of cultivated and wild cacao pop...

Insect pollinated mass flowering crops are becoming more widespread and there is a need to understand which insects are primarily responsible for the pollination of these crops so conservation measures can be appropriately targeted in the face of pollinator declines. This study used field surveys in conjunction with cage manipulations to identify the relative contributions of different pollinat...

1. C. landanifer is a selfincompatible shrub which forms a major component of many Mediterranean habitats. It typically occurs in large, dense mono-species stands, though in some areas individuals may be more sparsely distributed. The plant produces prominent flowers which attract a wide diversity of pollinators. A proportion of these flowers subsequently develop into fruits which are subject t...

Masting is a reproductive strategy defined as the intermittent and synchronized production of large seed crops by a plant population. The pollination efficiency hypothesis proposes that masting increases pollination success in plants. Despite its general appeal, no previous studies have used long-term data together with population- and individual-level analyses to assess pollination efficiency ...

In plants, apomixis results in the production of clonal offspring via seed and can provide reproductive assurance for isolated individuals. However, many apomicts require pollination to develop functional endosperm for successful seed set (pseudogamy) and therefore risk pollination-limitation, particularly in self-incompatible species that require heterospecific pollen. We used microsatellite p...

A tradeoff between growth and reproduction, often inferred from an inverse correlation between these two variables, is a fundamental paradigm of life-history evolution. Oak species provide a unique test of this relationship because different species mature acorns either in the year of pollination or in the year after pollination. This difference allows for an interspecific comparison testing wh...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Fabrics used in pollination bags may exclude pollen carried by biotic vectors, but have varying degrees of permeability to wind-borne pollen. The permeability of bags to wind-borne pollen may have important consequences in studies of pollination and reproductive biology. The permeability of four fabrics commonly used in the construction of pollination bags was examined. ME...

Ramiro Aguilar,* Lorena Ashworth, Leonardo Galetto and Marcelo Adrián Aizen Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologı́a Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba – CONICET, CC 495, 5000 Córdoba, Argentina Laboratorio Ecotono, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250 (8400), San Carlos de Bariloche, Rı́o Negro, Argentina *Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The loss and ...

Whilst most studies reviewing the reliance of global agriculture on insect pollination advocate increasing the 'supply' of pollinators (wild or managed) to improve crop yields, there has been little focus on altering a crop's 'demand' for pollinators.Parthenocarpy (fruit set in the absence of fertilization) is a trait which can increase fruit quantity and quality from pollinator-dependent crops...