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Beetle pollination of Shorea parvifolia (section Mutica , Dipterocarpaceae) in a general flowering period in Sarawak, Malaysia
Author(s) -
Sakai Shoko,
Momose Kuniyasu,
Yumoto Takakazu,
Kato Makoto,
Inoue Tamiji
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.2307/2656955
Subject(s) - biology , dipterocarpaceae , pollination , botany , open pollination , hand pollination , thripidae , thrips , curculionidae , pollen , horticulture , pollinator
Pollination ecology of an emergent tree species, Shorea (section Mutica ) parvifolia (Dipterocarpaceae), was studied using the canopy observation system in a lowland dipterocarp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia, during a general flowering period in 1996. Although the species has been reported to be pollinated by thrips in Peninsular Malaysia, our observations of flower visitors and pollination experiments indicated that beetles (Chrysomelidae and Curculionidae, Coleoptera) contributed to pollination of S. parvifolia in Sarawak. Beetles accounted for 74% of the flower visitors collected by net‐sweeping, and 30% of the beetles carried pollen, while thrips accounted for 16% of the visitors, and 12% of the thrips carried pollen. The apical parts of the petals and pollen served as a reward for the beetles. Thrips stayed inside the flower almost continuously after arrival, and movements among flowers were rare. Fruit set was significantly increased by introduction of beetles to bagged flowers, but not by introduction of thrips. Hand‐pollination experiments and comparison of fruit set in untreated, bagged, and open flowers suggested that S. parvifolia was mainly outbreeding.