Pollination and nectar production of Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Loranthaceae) in central Veracruz, Mexico

We assessed nectar production patterns, the breeding system, and overall pollinator dependence of Psittacanthus schie- deanus (Schlecht. & Cham.) G.Don (Loranthaceae), a mistletoe species that blooms in the late summer of the eastern cloud forests of Mexico and whose owers are mainly visited by...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: María Magdalena Ramírez Martínez, Juan Francisco Ornelas Rodríguez
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:México
Institución:Instituto de Ecología
Repositorio:Repositorio Institucional INECOL
OAI Identifier:oai:inecol.repositorioinstitucional.mx:1005/257
Acceso en línea:http://inecol.repositorioinstitucional.mx/jspui/handle/1005/257
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:info:eu-repo/classification/cti/2
Descripción
Sumario:We assessed nectar production patterns, the breeding system, and overall pollinator dependence of Psittacanthus schie- deanus (Schlecht. & Cham.) G.Don (Loranthaceae), a mistletoe species that blooms in the late summer of the eastern cloud forests of Mexico and whose owers are mainly visited by hummingbirds. Despite differences in nectar production rates over the lifespan of a ower, the daily nectar secretion of 3.6-7.2 mg sugar/ ower/day was high compared to other hummingbird-adapted plant spe- cies. Hand-pollination experiments showed that this plant is self-compatible, with only a slight advantage of cross- (xenogamous) and geitonogamous hand-pollinated owers over autonomous hand-pollinated owers. Hence, the high production of nectar by P. schiedeanus owers represents an important ecosystem resource that may mediate interactions with a wide variety of oral visitors. Although P. schiedeanus set selfed fruits autonomously, this plant requires hummingbirds to achieve its full reproductive potential.