The relative frequencies of functional traits of plant species show notable spatial variation, which is often related to environmental factors. Pollination type (insect-, wind- or self-pollination) is a critical trait for plant reproduction and provision of ecosystem services. Here, we mapped the distribution of pollination types across Germany by combining databases on plant distribution and p...

Self-pollination results in significantly lower seed set than cross-pollination in tristylous Narcissus triandrus. We investigated structural and functional aspects of pollen-pistil interactions and ovule-seed development following cross- and self-pollination to assess the timing and mechanism of self-sterility. Ovule development within an ovary was asynchronous at anthesis. There were no signi...

Wind pollination was experimentally demonstrated in Linanthus parviflorus (Polemoniaceae), a predominantly beefly-pollinated, self-incompatible annual. Seed set in plants enclosed in mesh tents that excluded pollinators but allowed airborne pollen flow provided evidence for wind pollination, and the extent of seed set due to wind pollination was compared to that in open-pollinated controls and ...

The expansion of pollinator-dependent crops, especially in the developing world, together with reports of worldwide pollinator declines, raises concern of possible yield gaps. Farmers directly reliant on pollination services for food supply often live in regions where our knowledge of pollination services is poor. In a manipulative experiment replicated at 23 sites across an Ethiopian agricultu...

Mutualistic interaction networks have been shown to be structurally conserved over space and time while pairwise interactions show high variability. In such networks, modularity is the division of species into compartments, or modules, where species within modules share more interactions with each other than they do with species from other modules. Such a modular structure is common in mutualis...

Pollination systems frequently reflect adaptations to particular groups of pollinators. Such systems are indicative of evolutionary specialization and have been important in angiosperm diversification. We studied the evolution of pollination systems in the large genus Ruellia. Phylogenetic analyses, morphological ordinations, ancestral state reconstructions, and a character mapping simulation w...

Considerable infonnation has been developed on floral induction and the flowering process in Citrus in the papers which precede this one. Flower induction is a prerequisite to fruit production, so it is very important to have a clear understanding ofthe process. However, simply producing large numbers offlowers does not necessarily guarantee a subsequent large crop of fruit to harvest when they...

Most flowering plants depend on animal vectors for pollination and seed dispersal. Differential pollinator preferences lead to premating isolation and thus reduced gene flow between interbreeding plant populations. Sets of floral traits, adapted to attract specific pollinator guilds, are called pollination syndromes. Shifts in pollination syndromes have occurred surprisingly frequently, conside...

To enhance the understanding of artemisinin biosynthesis, we have successfully bred self-pollination Artemisia annua plants. Here, we report efficient somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis of self-pollination plants and artemisinin formation in regenerated plants. The first through sixth nodal leaves of seedlings are used as explants. On agar-solidified MS basal medium supplemented with TDZ (...