Stiff flax can self pollinate and experiences limited harm from pollen of an introduced neighbor

by B.R. Montgomery and C.W. Phillips

A flower of the prairie wildflower stiff flax

For self-compatible plant species, individuals can use their own pollen to fertilize their ovules, but self-incompatible plant species have mechanisms that prevent this from occurring In this study we tested whether the prairie wildflower stiff flax is self-compatible and whether it requires pollinator for seed production. Another study goal was to test whether receipt of pollen from the introduced plant leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) interfered with the stiff flax’s pollination.   

Read the whole summary in: English!
Read the scientific publication in JPE.

Long-term time-lapse video provides near complete records of floral visitors

by Joan Edwards et al.

skipper on Polygala paucifolia

Accurate records of floral visitors are critical for understanding pollination, but difficult to observe directly. Pollination events are often fleeting, occurring in a few seconds or less making them easy to miss. Visits can also occur in pulses, making it difficult to track all visitors at once and they can occur over long time intervals, making continuous direct observation problematic. We report an inexpensive, portable time‐ lapse camera, which can record floral visitors over the full blooming time of a flower providing a near‐complete record of floral visitors. Using a camera also allows collecting data while minimizing observer interference. We tested this camera system on thirty different species to demonstrate its utility on flowers and inflorescences of many different shapes and sizes. 

Read the whole summary in: English!
Read the scientific publication in JPE.

 

Floral biology of Adolphia infesta

by D. Medan, G. Castillo-Campos and G. Zarlavsky

Adolphia infesta. Scale bar= 4 mm.

When approaching an overview of the reproduction of the tribe Colletieae (Rhamnaceae), there was a  single piece of information still missing which concerned the reproductive behaviour of the North American genus Adolphia. To fill this gap we studied a Mexican population of A. infesta included in an agricultural landscape. 

Read the whole summary in: English or Spanish!
Read the scientific publication in JPE.