Mixed Bat-Hummingbird Pollination Assures Reproductive Success in a Highly Variable Upper Montane Species.

ABSTRACT: Callianthe sellowiana is a high-altitude species endemic to the Atlantic Forest that exhibits floral traits overlapping between ornithophily (hummingbird pollination) and chiropterophily (bat pollination), with highly variable flower color and shape and a yet unstudied reproductive system. We conducted observations and experiments in the upper montane Brazilian Atlantic Forest (2000 m a.s.l.), which revealed that both bat and hummingbird pollinators contribute similarly to fruit and seed set, with no significant difference between diurnal and nocturnal exclusion treatments. However, combined pollination yielded higher reproductive success, indicating functional complementarity and equal pollination effectiveness. Floral traits match both pollinators, with wider corollas at night aid

SUBMITTER: Paglia I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12549183 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature