Background and aims: Pollination by fungus gnats (Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae) is uncommon, but is nevertheless known to occur in 20 genera among eight angiosperm families. Because many fungus gnat-pollinated plants possess a dark red floral display, we hypothesized that fungus gnat pollination is more widespread among plants with similar floral display than currently known. We thus studied the pollination biology of flowers with dark red pigmentation in five families, focusing particularly on plants having small, flat, actinomorphic flowers with exposed nectaries and short stamens, because these floral characteristics mirror those of a known fungus gnat-pollinated genus (Mitella). Methods: We observed daytime and night-time floral visitors for a total of 194.5 h in Aucuba japonica (Garryaceae), Euonymus spp. (Celastraceae), Disanthus cercidifolius (Hamamelidaceae), Micranthes fusca (Saxifragaceae) and Streptopus streptopoides (Liliaceae). Visitors were categorized into functional groups, and a pollination importance index (PII) was calculated for each functional group based on visitation frequency, pollen load and behaviour on flowers. Key results: Fungus gnats were dominant among the 1762 insects observed (36-92 % depending on the plant species) and were the most important pollinators among all plants studied (PII: 0.529-1). Fungus gnat visits occurred during the daytime and, more frequently, at dusk. Most often, pollen grains became clumped on the ventral side of the head and/or thorax as the short-proboscid fungus gnats foraged on nectar and came into contact with anthers located close to the flower base. Conclusions: Pollination by fungus gnats is probably more common than previously thought, especially in habitats similar to those of the plants studied (moist forest understorey, streamside or subalpine meadow) where fungus gnats are abundant year-round. Our results further suggest that there may be a previously unnoticed association between fungus gnat pollination and dark red coloration, and a shared overall floral architecture among the plants studied.
Background and aims: Pollination by fungus gnats (Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae) is uncommon, but is nevertheless known to occur in 20 genera among eight angiosperm families. Because many fungus gnat-pollinated plants possess a dark red floral display, we hypothesized that fungus gnat pollination is more widespread among plants with similar floral display than currently known. We thus studied the pollination biology of flowers with dark red pigmentation in five families, focusing particularly on plants having small, flat, actinomorphic flowers with exposed nectaries and short stamens, because these floral characteristics mirror those of a known fungus gnat-pollinated genus (Mitella). Methods: We observed daytime and night-time floral visitors for a total of 194.5 h in Aucuba japonica (Garryaceae), Euonymus spp. (Celastraceae), Disanthus cercidifolius (Hamamelidaceae), Micranthes fusca (Saxifragaceae) and Streptopus streptopoides (Liliaceae). Visitors were categorized into functional groups, and a pollination importance index (PII) was calculated for each functional group based on visitation frequency, pollen load and behaviour on flowers. Key results: Fungus gnats were dominant among the 1762 insects observed (36-92 % depending on the plant species) and were the most important pollinators among all plants studied (PII: 0.529-1). Fungus gnat visits occurred during the daytime and, more frequently, at dusk. Most often, pollen grains became clumped on the ventral side of the head and/or thorax as the short-proboscid fungus gnats foraged on nectar and came into contact with anthers located close to the flower base. Conclusions: Pollination by fungus gnats is probably more common than previously thought, especially in habitats similar to those of the plants studied (moist forest understorey, streamside or subalpine meadow) where fungus gnats are abundant year-round. Our results further suggest that there may be a previously unnoticed association between fungus gnat pollination and dark red coloration, and a shared overall floral architecture among the plants studied.
Authors: Ryan D Phillips; Daniela Scaccabarozzi; Bryony A Retter; Christine Hayes; Graham R Brown; Kingsley W Dixon; Rod Peakall Journal: Ann Bot Date: 2013-12-22 Impact factor: 4.357
Authors: Edyta Jermakowicz; Joanna Leśniewska; Marcin Stocki; Aleksandra M Naczk; Agata Kostro-Ambroziak; Artur Pliszko Journal: Biology (Basel) Date: 2022-04-21
Authors: Jeff Ollerton; Sigrid Liede-Schumann; Mary E Endress; Ulrich Meve; André Rodrigo Rech; Adam Shuttleworth; Héctor A Keller; Mark Fishbein; Leonardo O Alvarado-Cárdenas; Felipe W Amorim; Peter Bernhardt; Ferhat Celep; Yolanda Chirango; Fidel Chiriboga-Arroyo; Laure Civeyrel; Andrea Cocucci; Louise Cranmer; Inara Carolina da Silva-Batista; Linde de Jager; Mariana Scaramussa Deprá; Arthur Domingos-Melo; Courtney Dvorsky; Kayna Agostini; Leandro Freitas; Maria Cristina Gaglianone; Leo Galetto; Mike Gilbert; Ixchel González-Ramírez; Pablo Gorostiague; David Goyder; Leandro Hachuy-Filho; Annemarie Heiduk; Aaron Howard; Gretchen Ionta; Sofia C Islas-Hernández; Steven D Johnson; Lize Joubert; Christopher N Kaiser-Bunbury; Susan Kephart; Aroonrat Kidyoo; Suzanne Koptur; Cristiana Koschnitzke; Ellen Lamborn; Tatyana Livshultz; Isabel Cristina Machado; Salvador Marino; Lumi Mema; Ko Mochizuki; Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira Morellato; Chediel K Mrisha; Evalyne W Muiruri; Naoyuki Nakahama; Viviany Teixeira Nascimento; Clive Nuttman; Paulo Eugenio Oliveira; Craig I Peter; Sachin Punekar; Nicole Rafferty; Alessandro Rapini; Zong-Xin Ren; Claudia I Rodríguez-Flores; Liliana Rosero; Shoko Sakai; Marlies Sazima; Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen; Ching-Wen Tan; Carolina Torres; Kristian Trøjelsgaard; Atushi Ushimaru; Milene Faria Vieira; Ana Pía Wiemer; Tadashi Yamashiro; Tarcila Nadia; Joel Queiroz; Zelma Quirino Journal: Ann Bot Date: 2019-01-23 Impact factor: 4.357