Abstract
Wind pollination can provide reproductive insurance for animal-pollinated dioecious plants in the absence of available pollinators, but combinations of insect and wind pollination (ambophily) have rarely been studied in hermaphrodite herbs. We examined the stable occurrence of insect pollination and wind pollination over 4 years in a population of a biennial Aconitum species (A. gymnandrum) with actinomorphic and degenerate sepals. The total frequency of visits of two bumblebee species showed no distinct fluctuations in the studied population among the 4 years. However, seed production of netted flowers after emasculation indicated wind pollination had occurred. The seed number of bagged flowers with one visit by bumblebees was significantly less than that of netted flowers after one visit, or in control flowers. Both seed number and fruit set of netted flowers were significantly lower than in control flowers. These results suggest that wind pollination provides supplementary pollen to unvisited and/or once-visited flowers, but accounts for only a small amount of seed production compared to bumblebee pollination in natural conditions. Such a combination of insect and wind pollination might play an important role in maintaining sexual reproduction of this biennial herb, allowing it to persist in arid habitats on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, especially during Quaternary glacial periods when pollinator populations oscillated extensively.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Total visits by two bumblebee species did not fluctuate distinctly across four years.
Verbatim
e0“The total frequency of visits of two bumblebee species showed no distinct fluctuations in the studied population among the 4 years.”
t0“Aconitum gymnandrum”
Claim · model-written summary
Seed production after emasculation in netted flowers indicated wind pollination.
- Taxon
- Aconitum gymnandrumGymnaconitum gymnandrumt0
- Organ / stage
- netted flowerse0
- Treatment
- emasculatione0
- Outcome
- wind pollination had occurrede0
Verbatim
e0“seed production of netted flowers after emasculation indicated wind pollination had occurred.”
t0“Aconitum gymnandrum”
Claim · model-written summary
A single bumblebee visit to bagged flowers produced fewer seeds than one visit to netted flowers or control flowers.
- Taxon
- Aconitum gymnandrumGymnaconitum gymnandrumt0
- Treatment
- bagged flowers with one visit by bumblebeese0
- Outcome
- seed numbere0
- Direction
- lesse0
- Comparator
- netted flowers after one visit, or in control flowerse0
BombusOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The seed number of bagged flowers with one visit by bumblebees was significantly less than that of netted flowers after one visit, or in control flowers.”
t0“Aconitum gymnandrum”
Claim · model-written summary
Netted flowers had fewer seeds than control flowers.
Verbatim
e0“Both seed number and fruit set of netted flowers were significantly lower than in control flowers.”
t0“Aconitum gymnandrum”
Claim · model-written summary
Netted flowers had lower fruit set than controls.
Verbatim
e0“Both seed number and fruit set of netted flowers were significantly lower than in control flowers.”
t0“Aconitum gymnandrum”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer wind contributes supplementary pollen to unvisited or once-visited flowers.
- Taxon
- Aconitum gymnandrumGymnaconitum gymnandrumt0
- Outcome
- supplementary pollen to unvisited and/or once-visited flowerse0
- Qualifier
- wind pollinatione0
Verbatim
e0“wind pollination provides supplementary pollen to unvisited and/or once-visited flowers, but accounts for only a small amount of seed production compared to bumblebee pollination in natural conditions.”
t0“Aconitum gymnandrum”
Claim · model-written summary
Wind accounts for only a small share of seed production relative to bumblebee pollination.
Verbatim
e0“wind pollination provides supplementary pollen to unvisited and/or once-visited flowers, but accounts for only a small amount of seed production compared to bumblebee pollination in natural conditions.”
t0“Aconitum gymnandrum”