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Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
Published on: November 25, 2016
The evolution of bat pollination: a phylogenetic perspective.
Theodore H Fleming1, Cullen Geiselman, W John Kress
1Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA. tedfleming@dakotacom.net
Annals of Botany
|October 1, 2009
Summary
Nectar-feeding bats are key pollinators for many tropical plants, facilitating gene flow and genetic diversity. This specialized pollination strategy, evolved independently across diverse plant lineages, highlights the conservation value of bats in fragmented habitats.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Botany
Background:
- Most tropical and subtropical plants rely on biotic pollination, with insects as primary pollinators.
- A significant group of angiosperms, spanning 28 orders and 67 families, are pollinated by nectar-feeding bats.
- Bat pollination represents a derived pollination mode, involving large, energetically costly pollinators.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the ecological and evolutionary consequences of bat pollination.
- To review plant and bat adaptations facilitating this interaction.
- To discuss the evolution of bat pollination from a plant phylogenetic perspective.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of plant lineages.
- Review of existing literature on bat-plant interactions.
- Comparative analysis of pollination syndromes.
Main Results:
- Bat pollination has evolved independently multiple times from various ancestral pollination modes.
- Two bat families exhibit specialized flower-visiting behaviors, one in the Old World and one in the New World.
- Bat pollination is prevalent in specific angiosperm subfamilies and tribes, often involving plants with low population densities and large flowers.
Conclusions:
- Flower-visiting bats deliver substantial pollen loads and diverse genotypes, acting as long-distance dispersers.
- Nectar bats are crucial for maintaining genetic continuity in fragmented tropical ecosystems.
- Bat pollination holds considerable conservation value due to its role in plant genetic diversity and population persistence.
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