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Generalist pollinators in the dioecious shrub Rhus trichocarpa Miq. (Anacardiaceae) and their role in reproductive success
Author(s) -
MATSUYAMA SHUHEI,
OSAWA NAOYA,
SAKIMOTO MICHINORI
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
plant species biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1442-1984
pISSN - 0913-557X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-1984.2009.00258.x
Subject(s) - pollinator , eusociality , biology , pollination , generalist and specialist species , reproductive success , hymenoptera , halictidae , ecology , zoology , pollen , apoidea , population , habitat , demography , sociology
We examined the floral display size and potential pollinators of female and male Rhus trichocarpa in northern Kyoto, Japan, in June 2005. The entomophilous pollination system comprised 431 insects and one spider belonging to 124 species. Most pollinators were non‐social bees and occasional Diptera and Coleoptera, whereas eusocial bees were not dominant in the pollination system. Male‐biased frequencies were observed in the eusocial bees and in some of the non‐social bees, probably because they are sensitive to the larger male floral rewards. A pollinator introduction experiment confirmed that male‐biased, unbiased and infrequent non‐social bees can pollinate R. trichocarpa , indicating that non‐social bees can contribute to fruit set. The results suggest that there are likely to be two different functional groups of generalist pollinators: (i) the majority of the pollinators may contribute to reproductive success through unbiased and occasional visits; and (ii) a minority group of eusocial bees may contribute to reproductive success through male‐biased visits.