Flowering Time Variation in Two Sympatric Tree Species Contributes to Avoid Competition for Pollinator Services.

ABSTRACT: Competition is an important biological filter that can define crucial features of species' natural history, like survival and reproduction success. We evaluated in the Brazilian tropical savanna whether two sympatric and congenereric species, Qualea multiflora Mart. and Q. parviflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae), compete for pollinator services, testing whether there is a better competitor or whether plants present any anti-competitive mechanism. Additionally, we investigated the breeding system, pollinators, and flowering phenology of both species. The results showed that Q. multiflora and Q. parviflora are dependent on pollinators for fruit formation, as they exhibited a self-incompatible and non-agamospermic breeding system. These plants shared the same guild of poll

SUBMITTER: Alves-de-Lima L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10574496 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature