Pollinator assemblage and pollen load differences on sympatric diploid and tetraploid cytotypes of the desert-dominant Larrea tridentata.

ABSTRACT:

Premise

Whole-genome duplication (polyploidy) is an important force shaping flowering-plant evolution. Ploidy-specific plant-pollinator interactions represent important community-level biotic interactions that can lead to nonrandom mating and the persistence of mixed-ploidy populations.

Methods

At a naturally occurring diploid-tetraploid contact zone of the autopolyploid desert shrub Larrea tridentata, we combined flower phenology analyses, collections of bees on plants of known cytotype, and flow cytometry analyses of bee-collected pollen loads to investigate whether (1) diploid and tetraploid plants have unique bee pollinator assemblages, (2) bee taxa exhibit ploidy-specific visitation and pollen collection biases, and (3) specialist and generalist bee taxa have ploidy-spe

SUBMITTER: Laport RG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7986067 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature