Can pollination niches facilitate plant coexistence?
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Updated: May 18, 2026

Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
Published on: November 25, 2016
1Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. apauw@sun.ac.za
Abstract:
The question of why there are so many plant species needs two kinds of answer: an explanation for the origin of plant species, and an explanation for how they can coexist. Pollinators are often implicated in the origin of plant species because adaptation to different modes of pollination can drive divergence in floral traits and bring about reproductive isolation. However, very few studies have attempted to answer the next question: 'Can plant species that differ only in their mode of pollination coexist?' Fragmentary evidence supports the idea that intraspecific competition for pollination resources can limit population growth rate, thus allowing the coexistence of species that use different pollinators, or the same pollinators at different times.
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