Open AccessComparative biology of pollination systems in the African‐Malagasy genus Brownleea (Brownleeinae: Orchidaceae)
Author(s) -
LARSEN MICHAEL W.,
PETER CRAIG,
JOHNSON STEVEN D.,
OLESEN JENS M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2007.00725.x
Subject(s) - biology , pollinator , pollination , orchidaceae , nectar , genus , sympatric speciation , hummingbird , pollen , botany , inbreeding depression , zoology , inbreeding , population , demography , sociology
The role of pollinators in the evolution of the African‐Malagasy orchid genus Brownleea (Brownleeinae) was investigated. Taxa show specialization for pollination by bees ( B. parviflora , B. recurvata ), short‐proboscid flies ( B. galpinii ), and long‐proboscid flies ( B. macroceras , B. coerulea ). All species in the genus produce nectar, but some ( B. coerulea , B. galpinii ) appear to mimic flowers of abundant sympatric species as an additional strategy to attract pollinators. Species investigated in terms of their breeding systems ( B. coerulea , B. parviflora , B. macroceras , B. galpinii ) are reliant on pollinator visits for seed production. Self‐pollination results in strong inbreeding depression during embryo formation. A phylogeny of the genus, constructed using data from the ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2 region and morphology, indicates that fly pollination is likely to be basal in the genus, and that there has been a single shift to bee pollination. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 65–78.