Premium
Pollinator specialization: from the individual to the community
Author(s) -
Brosi Berry J.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.13951
Subject(s) - pollinator , ecology , biology , evolutionary biology , geography , pollination , pollen
Most spermatophytes need conspecific pollen in order to produce seed. This need for specialization seems to conflict with the generalized nature of most plant–pollinator interactions. Specialization and generalization are dynamic – not fixed – and exist simultaneously in multiple states at different levels of biological hierarchy. Over the short term, specialization ensures conspecific pollen transfer, whereas over the long term, generalization improves system‐level robustness. The balance between specialization and generalization at different scales is critical for different kinds of ecological functioning and is an important factor in plant speciation and the evolution of plant mating systems. Community context, including diversity and interaction network structure at different levels of aggregation, is a key driver of specialization dynamics.ContentsSummary 1190 I. Introduction 1190 II. Simultaneous specialization and generalization in pollination interactions 1191 III. The role of community context 1191 IV. Evolutionary considerations 1193 V. Conclusion 1193Acknowledgements 1194References 1194