Pollination syndromes lead to questions concerning the role of different suites of pollinators on the pollination success of plants. Escallonia myrtoidea exhibits floral traits associated with pollination by diurnal ...

Previous studies have examined separately how pollinator generalization and abundance influence plant reproductive success, but none so far has evaluated simultaneously the relative importance of these pollinator attributes. Here we evaluated the extent to which pollinator generalization and abundance influence plant reproductive success per visit and at the population level on a generalist plant, Opuntia sulphurea (Cactaceae). We used field experiments and path analysis to evaluate whether the per-visit effect is determined by the pollinator?s degree of generalization, and whether the population level effect (pollinator impact) is determined by the pollinator?s degree of generalization and abundance. Based on the models we tested, we concluded that the per-visit effect of a pollinator on plant reproduction was not determined by the pollinators? degree of generalization, while the population-level impact of a pollinator on plant reproduction was mainly determined by the pollinators? degree of generalization. Thus, generalist pollinators have the greatest species impact on pollination and reproductive success of O. sulphurea. According to our analysis this greatest impact of generalist pollinators may be partly explained by pollinator abundance. However, as abundance does not suffice as an explanation of pollinator impact, we suggest that vagility, need for resource consumption, and energetic efficiency of generalist pollinators may also contribute to determine a pollinator?s impact on plant reproduction....

Inga species present brush-type flower morphology allowing them to be visited by distinct groups of pollinators. Nectar features in relation to the main pollinators have seldom been studied in this genus. To test the ...

Flowers that are pollinated both during the day and at night could exhibit two different groups of pollinators and produce two different sets of attractants and rewards. We explored the patterns of emission of flower scents ...

It is well known that habitat fragmentation is likely to negatively affect the reproductive success of a species. Despite this fact, studies on the effects of fragmentation on reproductive success in combination with effects ...

It has been proposed that species-rich insect communities and species turnover across landscapes enhance the pollination efficiency of crops through complementarity, where both the dominant and less abundant species ...

The effect of a pollinator species on a plant depends on their interaction frequency and the pollinator's effectiveness. The role of ants as pollinators is highly variable, in some cases they act as true pollinators and ...

Effective pollination is a complex, context-dependent phenomenon determined by both species-level and community-level factors. While pollinator communities are constituted by interacting organisms in a shared environment, ...