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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

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

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

Published on: November 25, 2016

Plant mating systems in a changing world.

Christopher G Eckert¹, Susan Kalisz, Monica A Geber

¹Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada. chris.eckert@queensu.ca

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|August 18, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human disturbance significantly reduces outcross pollination in plants. This meta-analysis reveals fewer outcrossed seeds due to habitat changes, impacting plant mating systems and evolution.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Conservation Biology

Background:

Human activities increasingly alter natural habitats.
Plant-pollinator interactions, crucial for plant reproduction, are sensitive to environmental changes.
Outcross pollination is vital for genetic diversity and plant population resilience.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify the impact of anthropogenic habitat modifications on outcross pollination.
To explore the evolutionary consequences of reduced outcrossing on plant mating systems.
To assess whether self-pollination can compensate for reduced outcrossing under disturbance.

Main Methods:

A meta-analysis was conducted on 22 studies.
The studies encompassed 27 different plant species.
Data on the proportion of outcrossed seeds in response to habitat disturbance were synthesized.

Main Results:

A significant reduction in the proportion of outcrossed seeds was observed across studies.
Anthropogenic habitat modifications were consistently linked to decreased outcrossing rates.
The degree of pollinator versus mate availability reduction varied, suggesting diverse selective pressures.

Conclusions:

Human disturbance negatively affects plant reproductive success by reducing outcrossing.
Disturbance can impose selective pressures on plant reproductive traits and mating systems.
Understanding these impacts is crucial for conservation and mitigating human effects on plant evolution.