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Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
07:19

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Published on: November 25, 2016

Evolutionary associations between nectar properties and specificity in bird pollination systems.

Steven D Johnson1, Susan W Nicolson

  • 1School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, Republic of South Africa. johnsonsd@ukzn.ac.za

Biology Letters
|November 15, 2007
PubMed
Summary

The long-held belief that hummingbirds and passerine birds prefer different nectar is incorrect. Instead, nectar characteristics distinguish specialized bird pollination systems from generalized ones.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Plant Biology

Background:

  • A prevailing biological paradigm suggested hummingbirds and passerine birds select distinct nectar properties.
  • This study challenges the established dichotomy between hummingbird and passerine bird pollination systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the distinctions in nectar properties based on bird pollinator specialization.
  • To propose a new framework differentiating specialized and generalized bird pollination systems.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of nectar volume, concentration, and sugar composition.
  • Phylogenetically controlled statistical comparisons between different bird pollination systems.
  • Examination of nectar traits in flowers pollinated by hummingbirds, sunbirds, and generalized bird pollinators.

Main Results:

  • Nectar characteristics of hummingbird-pollinated flowers are similar to those of sunbird-pollinated flowers (specialized passerine nectarivores).
  • Flowers adapted for generalized bird pollinators exhibit larger nectar volumes with lower sugar concentration and minimal sucrose.
  • These distinctions in nectar traits are statistically significant, even when accounting for phylogenetic relatedness.

Conclusions:

  • The dichotomy between hummingbird and passerine bird pollination is false.
  • A more accurate distinction lies between specialized (e.g., sunbirds) and generalized bird pollination systems.
  • Nectar properties are strongly associated with the specificity of bird pollination systems, suggesting co-evolutionary adaptations.