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Pollinator trapping in selfing carnivorous plants, Drosera makinoi and D. toyoakensis (Droseraceae)
Author(s) -
Tagawa Kazuki,
Watanabe Mikio,
Yahara Tetsukazu
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/s11284-018-1572-6
Subject(s) - pollinator , biology , selfing , carnivorous plant , botany , predation , pollination , outcrossing , attraction , ecology , pollen , population , linguistics , philosophy , demography , sociology
Carnivorous plants use insects not only as prey, but also as pollinators. Whereas outcrossing carnivorous plants are known to avoid trapping pollinators, selfing carnivorous plants may capture the pollinators as prey. Here, we provide evidence that two selfing carnivorous plant species with short flower‐trap separation, Drosera makinoi (white‐colored flowers) and D. toyoakensis (pink‐colored flowers), caught some major pollinator species belonging to Diptera and Hymenoptera: four out of five species in D. makinoi and one out of six species in D. toyoakensis . We also tested the function of flowers to attract pollinator or prey insects by experimentally removing Drosera flowers. Flower removal did not significantly affect the number of trapped insects. On the other hand, the removal of flowers of co‐flowering neighbor plants, Eriocaulon decemflorum for D. makinoi and Lysimachia fortunei for D. toyoakensis , significantly decreased the number of trapped insects. This finding suggests an exploitative relationship between Drosera spp. and co‐flowering species.