Pollinator and floral odor specificity among four synchronopatric species of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae) suggests ethological isolation that prevents reproductive interference.

ABSTRACT: Possession of flowers that trap fly pollinators is a conservative trait within the genus Ceropegia, in which pollination systems can be generalized or highly specialized. However, little is known about the role of plant-pollinator interactions in the maintenance of species boundaries. This study examined the degree of plant-pollinator specialization and identified the parameters responsible for specificity among four co-occurring Ceropegia species with overlapping flowering times. All investigated plant species were functionally specialized on pollination by Chloropidae and/or Milichiidae flies and each Ceropegia species was, in turn, ecologically highly specialized on only two pollinating fly morphospecies, though one plant species appeared more generalist. Species-specific fly attraction

SUBMITTER: Kidyoo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9376067 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature