Limitations on seed production and quality (i.e., germinability) brought on by pollinator abundance or behavior will also have an evolutionary impact, with natural selection favoring the use of pollinators that result in the greatest fitness gain for that population size.
Plants with smaller populations frequently have inferior fruit set due to fewer pollinator visits and less fit progeny as a result of inbreeding. The behavior and ecology of pollinators may have an impact on whether the potentially harmful effects of limited population size are experienced.
Here, we examine how changes in guild composition and pollinator behavior as a function of plant population size affect the fruit set and seed germination of the bird pollinated Angiocaths flavedos (Haemodoraceae). When measuring seed germinability, we utilized a germination stimulant to lessen the possible confounding effects of interpopulation variation in dormancy.
The behaviorally dominating New Holland honeyeaters only frequented big groups, while western spinebills visited all populations sparingly. Regardless of population size, fruit set was extraordinarily high (mean = 96.4 0.6 percent).
Small plant populations appeared to have a lower incidence of hostile encounters interrupting feeding sessions. In certain populations, the percentage of foraging sessions that were stopped reached 31%, which suggests that hostility may regularly encourage pollen migration. In contrast to New Holland honeyeaters, Western spinebills tended to visit fewer stems per plant, a behavior that may favor more outcrossing.
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