Pollination systems of trees in Kakachi, a mid-elevation wet evergreen forest in Western Ghats, India.

A long-term survey (1990-2000) of pollination modes of 86 tree species was carried out at Kakachi, a mid-elevation wet forest site in southern Western Ghats, India. Observations were made on 86 tree species. This comprises 80% of the total arborescent species present in the site. Approximately 75% of these species were specialized to a single pollinator group such as bee, beetle, or moth. Pollinators from diverse groups pollinate the remaining 25% of the tree species. Global comparison with other wet forest sites showed that diversity and specialized pollination modes observed in Kakachi bore closer resemblance to other lowland than montane forest sites described so far. However, the number of pollinators involved in pollination was comparable with montane sites. We examine the consequences that might have led to selection of the observed pollination modes in Kakachi. We discuss the conservation implications of these results.