Evolution of mutualism in plant-pollinator interactions on islands.
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Date
1993-12
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Abstract
The evolution and ecology of interactions between plants and pollinators are
discussed based on the studies on the Izu Islands and mainland Honshu, Japan. The
species assemblage is depauperate, and long-tongued pollinators are absent or rare on the
islands. Bumblebees, one of the most important pollinators in Japan, are generally absent.
Plants depending strongly on bumblebee pollination are absent on Izu Islands, but those
depending on varied pollinators including bumblebees display smaller flower sizes and
accommodate smaller pollinators than their mainland counterparts. Breeding systems of these
species also shift to partial inbreeding, possibly an evolutionary result of the decrease in
pollinator availability. Changes in flowering phenology between mainland and island
populations also occur. Plants in the islands tend to reproduce vegetatively less frequently
and produce greater numbers of smaller seeds than those in the mainland. The possibility
of evolution on the side of island pollinator species is also discussed, although there are
few data on this topic.
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Keywords
Bombus, evolution of plant characteristics, island populations, pollination, pollinator availability
Citation
Inoue Ken. Evolution of mutualism in plant-pollinator interactions on islands. Journal of Biosciences. 1993 Dec; 18(4): 525-536.