Evolution of pollination niches in a generalist plant clade. Issue 1 (23rd September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gómez, José María; Perfectti, Francisco; Abdelaziz, Mohamed; Lorite, Juan; Muñoz‐Pajares, Antonio Jesús; Valverde, Javier
• Is Part Of: New phytologist. Volume 205:Issue 1(2015)
• Page Start: 440
• Page End: 453
• Publication Date: 2014-09-23
• Subjects: Botany -- Periodicals; 580
• DOI: 10.1111/nph.13016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0028-646X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="nph13016-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <p> <list id="nph13016-list-0001" list-type="bullet"> <list-item> <p>It is widely assumed that floral diversification occurs by adaptive shifts between pollination niches. In contrast to specialized flowers, identifying pollination niches of generalist flowers is a challenge. Consequently, how generalist pollination niches evolve is largely unknown.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>We apply tools from network theory and comparative methods to investigate the evolution of pollination niches among generalist species belonging to the genus <italic>Erysimum</italic>. These species have similar flowers.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>We found that the studied species may be grouped in several multidimensional niches separated not by a shift of pollinators, but instead by quantitative variation in the relative abundance of pollinator functional groups. These pollination niches did not vary in generalization degree; we did not find any evolutionary trend toward specialization within the studied clade. Furthermore, the evolution of pollination niche fitted to a Brownian motion model without phylogenetic signal, and was characterized by frequent events of niche convergences and divergences.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>We presume that the evolution of <italic>Erysimum</italic> pollination niches has occurred mostly by recurrent shifts between slightly different generalized pollinator assemblages varying spatially as a mosaic and without any change in specialization degree. Most changes in pollination niches do not prompt floral divergence, a reason why adaptation to pollinators is uncommon in generalist plants.</p> </list-item> </list> </p> </abstract>