The symbiosis of plants and animals is an evolutionary phenomenon that has been established for millions years [...]

BACKGROUND Nowadays several invertebrate pollinators of crops and wild plants are in decline as result of multiple and, sometimes, unknown factors; among them, the modern agricultural practices, pests and diseases are postulated as the most important factors. Bees of the genus Xylocopa are considered effective pollinators of passion fruit crops in tropical regions, as well as important pollinat...

Plants and their pollinators are excellent examples of mutualistic associations that range in specialization, from obligate to generalized mutualisms, with many pollinators interacting with diverse species of flowers while still maintaining specialized associations. Although floral odors have been implicated in mediating these interactions, identification of the odors-and how the odors are repr...

Nicotiana section Alatae exhibits great diversity among species in floral morphology, mating system, and predominant pollinators. As a first step towards estimating nectar's role in floral evolution, we studied nectar traits to determine whether they vary in association with predominant pollinators and mating system. Daily phenology determines when nectar becomes available to pollinators and di...

Communication in plant-animal mutualisms frequently involves multiple perceivers. A fundamental uncertainty is whether and how species adapt to communicate with groups of mutualists having distinct sensory abilities. We quantified the colour conspicuousness of flowers and fruits originating from one European and two South American plant communities, using visual models of pollinators (bee and f...

Plant-pollinator interactions are one of the most important and variable mutualisms in nature. Multiple pollinators often visit plants and can vary in visitation rates, pollen removal and deposition, and spatial and temporal distribution, altering plant reproduction and patterns of pollinator-mediated selection. Although some visitors may not be effective pollinators, pollinator effectiveness i...

For many species in seasonal environments, warmer springs associated with anthropogenic climate change are causing phenological changes. Within ecological communities, the timing of interactions among species may be altered if the species experience asymmetrical phenological shifts. We present a model that examines the consequences of changes in the relative timing of herbivory and pollination ...

In sexually polymorphic plant species the extent of gender divergence in floral morphology and phenology may be influenced by gender-specific selection patterns imposed by pollinators, which may change geographically. Distribution margins are areas where changes in the pollinator fauna, and thus variation in gender divergence of floral traits, are expected. We tested for pollination-driven geog...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Delayed selfing is the predominant mode of autonomous self-pollination in flowering plants. However, few delayed selfing mechanisms have been documented. This research aims to explore a new delayed selfing mechanism induced by stigmatic fluid in Roscoea debilis, a small perennial ginger. METHODS Floral biology and flower visitors were surveyed. The capacity of autonomous s...

Habitat loss from urban development threatens native plant populations in many regions of the world. In addition to direct plant mortality, urban intensification potentially impacts pollinator communities and in turn disrupts the pollination mutualisms that are critical to the viability of native plant populations. We placed standardized flowering plant arrays into woodlands along a gradient of...