When spring ephemerals fail to meet pollinators: mechanism of phenological mismatch and its impact on plant reproduction.

ABSTRACT: The flowering phenology of early-blooming plants is largely determined by snowmelt timing in high-latitude and high-altitude ecosystems. When the synchrony of flowering and pollinator emergence is disturbed by climate change, seed production may be restricted due to insufficient pollination success. We revealed the mechanism of phenological mismatch between a spring ephemeral ( Corydalis ambigua) and its pollinator (overwintered bumblebees), and its impact on plant reproduction, based on 19 years of monitoring and a snow removal experiment in a cool-temperate forest in northern Japan. Early snowmelt increased the risk of phenological mismatch under natural conditions. Seed production was limited by pollination success over the 3 years of the pollination experiment and decreased when flower

SUBMITTER: Kudo G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6571468 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature