Pollination improves the yield of most crop species and contributes to one-third of global crop production, but comprehensive benefits including crop quality are still unknown. Hence, pollination is underestimated by international policies, which is particularly alarming in times of agricultural intensification and diminishing pollination services. In this study, exclusion experiments with stra...

BACKGROUND In many plant species, pollination syndromes predict the most effective pollinator. However, other floral visitors may also offer effective pollination services and promote mixed pollination systems. Several species of the species-rich Penstemon (Plantaginaceae) exhibit a suite of floral traits that suggest adaptation for pollination by both hymenopterans and hummingbirds. Transition...

4.11.1 Ecological Interactions 118 4.11.1.1 Pollination Services 118 4.11.1.2 Sensitivity/Vulnerability of Pollination Services 119 4.11.1.2.1 Temporal Mismatch 119 4.11.1.2.2 Spatial Mismatch 120 4.11.1.2.3 Alteration of Pollinator Networks 121 4.11.1.2.4 Simulated Biodiversity Loss or Phenological Mismatch 121 4.11.1.2.5 Network Comparison Post Habitat-Alteration 122 4.11.2 Ecosystem Service ...

Numerous studies have examined the evolution of sexual systems in angiosperms, but few explore the interaction between these and the evolution of pollination mode. Wind pollination is often associated with unisexual flowers, but which evolved first and played a causative role in the evolution of the other is unclear. Thalictrum, meadow-rues (Ranunculaceae), provides a unique opportunity to stud...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Although some taxonomic studies in the genus Trigonella have been conducted, there has been no concerted effort to study the breeding system. This paper examines the floral structure and pollination system in a population of T. balansae, an annual pasture legume. METHODS Floral morphology, hand and vector pollination, stigma receptivity, pollen tube growth, using scanning ...

CYP450 plays an essential role in the development and growth of the fruits of Siraitia grosvenorii. However, little is known about the SgCYP450-4 gene in S. grosvenorii. Here, based on transcriptome data, a full-length cDNA sequence of SgCYP450-4 was cloned by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid-amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) strategies. SgCYP450-4 is 1677 bp i...

The ultimate causes of evolution of highly specialized pollination systems are little understood. We investigated the relationship between specialization and pollination efficiency, defined as the proportion of pollinated flowers relative to those that experienced pollen removal, using orchids with different pollination strategies as a model system. Rewarding orchids showed the highest pollinat...

Wind pollination is predominantly a derived condition in angiosperms and is thought to evolve in response to ecological conditions that render animal pollination less advantageous. However, the specific ecological and evolutionary mechanisms responsible for transitions from animal to wind pollination are poorly understood in comparison with other major reproductive transitions in angiosperms, i...

Ecological restoration of plant-pollinator interactions has received surprisingly little attention, despite animal-mediated pollination underpinning reproduction of the majority of higher plants. Here, we offer a conceptual and practical framework for the ecological restoration of pollination mutualisms. Through the use of targeted restoration plantings to attract and sustain pollinators and in...