Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Pollination”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Integration of alien plants into a native flower-pollinator visitation web.

Introduced alien species influence many ecosystem services, including pollination of plants by animals. We extend the scope of recent 'single species' studies by analysing how alien plant species integrate themselves into a native flower visitation web. Historical records for a community in central USA show that 456 plant species received visits from 1429 insect and 1 hummingbird species, yielding 15 265 unique interactions. Aliens comprised 12.3% of all plant species, whereas only a few insects were alien. On average, the flowers of alien plants were visited by significantly fewer animal species than those of native plants. Most of these visitors were generalists, visiting many other plant species. The web of interactions between flowers and visitors was less richly connected for alien plants than for natives; nonetheless, aliens were well integrated into the native web. Because most visitors appear to be pollinators, this integration implies possible competitive and facilitative interactions between native and alien plants, mediated through animal visitors to flowers.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Pollination-, development-, and auxin-specific regulation of gibberellin 3beta-hydroxylase gene expression in pea fruit and seeds.

To understand further how pollination, seeds, auxin (4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid [4-Cl-IAA]), and gibberellins (GAs) regulate GA biosynthesis in pea (Pisum sativum) fruit, we studied expression of the gene PsGA3ox1 that codes for the enzyme that converts GA(20) to biologically active GA(1) using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. PsGA3ox1 mRNA levels were minimally detectable in prepollinated pericarps and ovules (-2 d after anthesis [DAA]), increased dramatically after pollination (0 DAA), then decreased by 1 DAA. Seed PsGA3ox1 mRNA levels increased at 4 DAA and again 8 to 12 DAA, when seed development was rapid. Pericarp PsGA3ox1 mRNA levels peaked coincidentally with rapid pod diameter expansion (6-10 DAA) to accommodate the growing seeds. The effects of seeds and hormones on the expression of pericarp PsGA3ox1 were investigated over a 24-h treatment period. Pericarp PsGA3ox1 mRNA levels gradually increased from 2 to 3 DAA when seeds were present; however, when the seeds were removed, the pericarp transcript levels dramatically declined. When 2-DAA deseeded pericarps were treated with 4-Cl-IAA, PsGA3ox1 mRNA levels peaked 4 h after hormone treatment (270-fold increase), then decreased. PsGA3ox1 mRNA levels in deseeded pericarps treated with indole-3-acetic acid or GA(3) were the same or lower than deseeded controls. These data show that PsGA3ox1 is expressed and developmentally regulated in pea pericarps and seeds. These data also show that pericarp PsGA3ox1 expression is hormonally regulated and suggest that the conversion of GA(20) to GA(1) occurs in the pericarp and is regulated by the presence of seeds and 4-Cl-IAA for fruit growth.

Fertility↗
PubMed1995

Effect of the Growth Retardant 3,5-Dioxo-4-butyryl-cyclohexane Carboxylic Acid Ethyl Ester, an Acylcyclohexanedione Compound, on Fruit Growth and Gibberellin Content of Pollinated and Unpollinated Ovaries in Pea.

Treatment of pollinated pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Alaska, line V1) ovaries with 3,5-dioxo-4-butyryl-cyclohexane carboxylic acid ethyl ester (LAB), an acylcyclohexanedione derivative that competitively inhibits 2-oxoglutarate-dependent gibberellin (GA) dioxygenases, caused a reduction of pod elongation proportional to the amount of inhibitor applied. The effect of LAB was counteracted by GA1 and GA3, and partially by GA20. The inhibitor decreased the contents of GA1 and GA3 (the purported active GAs) and GA8, increased those of GA19 and GA20, and did not affect that of GA29 in both the pod and the developing seeds. These results provide evidence that GA1 and/or GA3 control pod development in pea and show that GA20 is not active per se. In contrast to its effect on pollinated ovaries, LAB promoted parthenocarpic development of unpollinated ovaries, which is associated with an increase of GA1 and GA8 content. The inhibitor enhanced the response of unpollinated ovaries to GA1 and GA20, but it did not alter the response to GA3. LAB is proposed to promote parthenocarpic development and enhance the response to exogenous GAs by blocking the 2[beta]-hydroxylation of GA1 more efficiently than 3[beta]-hydroxylation of GA20.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Florivory: the intersection of pollination and herbivory.

Plants interact with many visitors who consume a variety of plant tissues. While the consequences of herbivory to leaves and shoots are well known, the implications of florivory, the consumption of flowers prior to seed coat formation, have received less attention. Herbivory and florivory can yield different plant, population and community outcomes; thus, it is critical to distinguish between these two types of consumption. Here, we consider the ecological and evolutionary consequences of florivory. A growing number of studies recognize that florivory is common in natural systems and in some cases surpasses leaf herbivory in magnitude and impact. Florivores can affect male and female plant fitness via direct trophic effects and through altered pathways of species interactions. In particular, florivory can affect pollination and have consequences for plant mating and floral sexual system evolution. Plants are not defenceless against florivore damage. Concepts of resistance and tolerance can be applied to plant-florivore interactions. Moreover, extant theories of plant chemical defence, including optimal defence theory, growth rate hypothesis and growth differentiation-balance hypothesis, can be used to make testable predictions about when and how plants should defend flowers against florivores. The majority of the predictions remain untested, but they provide a theoretical foundation on which to base future experiments. The approaches to studying florivory that we outline may yield novel insights into floral and defence traits not illuminated by studies of pollination or herbivory alone.

Biomass↗
PubMed2005

Life history traits in selfing versus outcrossing annuals: exploring the 'time-limitation' hypothesis for the fitness benefit of self-pollination.

BACKGROUND: Most self-pollinating plants are annuals. According to the 'time-limitation' hypothesis, this association between selfing and the annual life cycle has evolved as a consequence of strong r-selection, involving severe time-limitation for completing the life cycle. Under this model, selection from frequent density-independent mortality in ephemeral habitats minimizes time to flower maturation, with selfing as a trade-off, and/or selection minimizes the time between flower maturation and ovule fertilization, in which case selfing has a direct fitness benefit. Predictions arising from this hypothesis were evaluated using phylogenetically-independent contrasts of several life history traits in predominantly selfing versus outcrossing annuals from a data base of 118 species distributed across 14 families. Data for life history traits specifically related to maturation and pollination times were obtained by monitoring the start and completion of different stages of reproductive development in a greenhouse study of selfing and outcrossing annuals from an unbiased sample of 25 species involving five pair-wise family comparisons and four pair-wise genus comparisons. RESULTS: Selfing annuals in general had significantly shorter plant heights, smaller flowers, shorter bud development times, shorter flower longevity and smaller seed sizes compared with their outcrossing annual relatives. Age at first flower did not differ significantly between selfing and outcrossing annuals. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first multi-species study to report these general life-history differences between selfers and outcrossers among annuals exclusively. The results are all explained more parsimoniously by selection associated with time-limitation than by selection associated with pollinator/mate limitation. The shorter bud development time reported here for selfing annuals is predicted explicitly by the time-limitation hypothesis for the fitness benefit of selfing (and not by the alternative 'reproductive assurance' hypothesis associated with pollinator/mate limitation). Support for the time-limitation hypothesis is also evident from published surveys: whereas selfers and outcrossers are about equally represented among annual species as a whole, selfers occur in much higher frequencies among the annual species found in two of the most severely time-limited habitats where flowering plants grow--deserts and cultivated habitats.

Asteraceae↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Nesting biology of Centris flavifrons (Friese) (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Centridini), one of the main pollinators of Byrsonima crassifolia L. Kunth in Maranhão, Brazil].

The Centridini has almost 176 species distributed mainly in the tropic regions of America. Although they are considered key pollinators in the maintenance of many vegetal species, data about their bionomics are restrict. Nesting activity is known for 11 species, out of the 21 that are considered pollinators of murici, Byrsonima crassifolia L. Kunth, a valuable biomonitoring specie. A study of the nesting biology of Centris flavifrons (Friese) was conducted in the state of Maranhão, Brazil, during the active period of the adults (May through December). Nests were aggregated. The females excavated their nests on flat surfaces of hard soils. Fifteen nests were dug and we only found cells in six of them. The nests architecture consisted of a single unbranched tunnel, with only one cell in the vertical position at the end, which was 25 cm to 50 cm away from the entrance. Nocturnal activity was observed in the nests building. The pollen analysis of the contents of four cells allowed to identify 23 floral species, six of them Malpighiaceae. Six floral species were registered visiting C. flavifrons by the first time: Lecythis lurida (Miers) Mori, Hymenea courbaril L., Myrcea sp., Protium sp., Tetrapterys sp. and Thalisia sp.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Compatibility of an organically based insect control program with honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) pollination in cantaloupes.

The application of azadirachtin to foliage of cantaloupes did not significantly reduce successful pollination by commercially managed honey bees, Apis mellifera L., as measured by numbers of foraging honey bees and yield. Similar results were obtained when the synthetic insecticide imidacloprid (used as a standard by cantaloupe growers) was applied to the soil. Fruit yield and quality, as a function of bee pollination, were statistically equal between the two treatments, and equal to that of the untreated control. The standard treatment of imidacloprid gave significantly better control than azadirachtin of one pest (cucumber beetle) early in the season. Fruit maturity was delayed in untreated plots, consistent with light insect pressure observed. These results indicate that an organically based insect control approach will not alter bloom acceptance and bee forager activity in cantaloupes.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2006

Bee population returns and cherry yields in an orchard pollinated with Osmia lignaria (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).

During 1998-2003, we used populations of the solitary bee Osmia lignaria Say to pollinate a commercial sweet cherry orchard in northern Utah. Bee densities released each year ranged from 1290 to 1857 females/ha, with approximately twice as many males. Female progeny produced each year were greater than parental populations released, except in 2003, when nesting was poor due to bird predation. Despite poor weather during bloom, and in contrast to most other local producers, the study orchard produced harvestable crops in 1999 (2,964 kg/ha) and 2001 (3,154 kg/ha). In 1998 and 2000, record yields were obtained (10,625 and 12,096 kg/ha, respectively). Including only those years with harvestable crops, average production was 2.2 times higher in 1998-2003 (when O. lignaria populations were used) compared with 1992-1997 (when 10 Apis mellifera hives were used). This is the first study reporting multiyear cherry yields in an orchard pollinated with O. lignaria in North America.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2000

Patterns of fruit and seed set within inflorescences of Pancratium maritimum (Amaryllidaceae): nonuniform pollination, resource limitation, or architectural effects?

We investigated patterns of fruit and seed production on inflorescences of a population of Pancratium maritimum in northwest Spain over a 2-yr period. Initial findings showed that the earliest opening flowers on an inflorescence are more likely to set fruit and produce more seeds than later opening flowers and that this pattern is maintained throughout the flowering season. Supplementary pollination and flower-removal experiments were performed to investigate whether the observed pattern is attributable (a) to variation in pollen receipt, (b) to sequestration of resources by the earliest flowers on an inflorescence, and/or (c) to "architectural" limitations on the fruit/seed production of later flowers. Supplementary pollination did not improve fruit or seed production by late flowers in either of the 2 yr of study. In flower-removal experiments, the remaining flowers showed improved fruit set and mean number of seeds per flower, by comparison with flowers in the same position on control inflorescences. When all flowers except the latest third were removed, these showed fruit set and seed production similar to those of early flowers on control inflorescences. These results strongly suggest that the observed within-inflorescence patterns of fruit and seed production in P. maritimum are mainly attributable to competition for resources (i.e., explanation b), though other adaptive explanations cannot be ruled out.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Effects of sequential pollination on the success of "fast" and "slow" pollen donors in Hibiscus moscheutos (Malvaceae).

Competition among pollen grains for the chance to fertilize ovules typically involves two stages: arrival times on stigmas and/or the growth of pollen tubes through styles. In a previous study of Hibiscus moscheutos, we found that individual pollen donors often differed in pollen tube competitive ability. Here we determined whether short delays in pollen arrival time altered the average success of "fast" and "slow" pollen donors when both types of pollen experienced the same delays. Hand-pollination experiments were carried out using four pairs of pollen donors that differed in competitive ability. We allowed delays of 15 or 30 min between the first and second pollen donor and then determined seed paternity using allozyme markers. The second donor typically sired fewer seeds than pollen that arrived earlier, but, contrary to expectation, "faster" pollen did not always sire significantly more seeds than "slower" pollen when each was applied after delays of the same duration. In two of the four pairs of donors, differences that were seen following simultaneous pollinations disappeared when each type of pollen was applied following identical delays of 15 or 30 min. This unexpected response suggests that the dynamics of pollen tube competition are more complex than anticipated.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1979

Histochemical localization of enzymes in the stigma and style of Gossypium hirsutum L. during pre- and post-pollination stages.

The distributional pattern of some enzymes (esterase, beta-D-galactosidase, succinate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase) is described in the dry stigma and closed style of Gossypium Hirsutum L. during pre- and post-pollination stages. All the four enzymes indicated granular reaction and increased activity in the transmitting tissue and its surrounding cells during post pollinated stage. The possible physiological role of these enzymes in pollen tube growth in vivo in stigma and style is discussed.

Esterases↗
PubMed2003

[Evolution of pollinization in France (2002)].

It was traditional until these last years to supervise the evolution of pollination by taking account only of the evolution of the number of grains of pollens present per m3 of air per year on each site. If this factor is significant, it is not sufficient. Indeed, it is essential to be able to supervise the evolution of the number of days in the year when the allergic risk related to a pollen is significant. The work which is presented shows over the years 1992 to 2002, for some sites of the RNSA (Amiens, Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg, Montlucon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse) that there can be parallelism of the curves "pollinic counts" and "allergic risk", but also of light discordances. Should a thorough study of the dates of appearance supplement this work because these modifications can be the consequence of the climatic motions of these last decades.

Air↗
PubMed2001

Localization of the calreticulin gene mRNA in unpollinated and pollinated styles of Petunia hybrida Hort.

The objective of our research on Petunia hybrida is to understand the role of calreticulin in the growth of pollen tubes in the pistil. The aim of this study was the first step: finding out whether CRT gene expression takes place in unpollinated and pollinated styles. It was revealed by in situ hybridization that the transcription of the calreticulin gene takes place in the transmitting cells of unpollinated and pollinated styles and in pollen tubes growing in vivo. The mRNA transcripts of the CRT gene were localized mainly on the surface of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, both in transmitting cells and in the tip cytoplasm of pollen tubes. The results of this study show that calreticulin can be involved in pollen - pistil interaction in vivo.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

[Expression of fertility during morphogenesis in self-pollinated backcrossed progenies of barley-wheat amphiploids].

The fertility characteristics expressed during morphogenesis in first-generation self-pollinated backcrossed progenies (BC1) obtained from amphiploid barley-wheat hybrids [Hordeum geniculatum All. (2n = 28) x Triticum aestivum L. (2n = 42)] (2n = 70) backcrossed with common wheat were studied. It was found that, in the case of self-pollination of BC1 plants, karyotype stabilization leads to the formation of alloplasmic euploid (2n = 42), telocentric substitution (2n = 40 + 2t), and telocentric addition (2n = 42 + 2t), (2n = 42 + 2t) plant forms, which may serve as the sources of the respective alloplasmic lines of common wheat. That the expression of fertility characters in BC1F8 plants was shown to depend on growth conditions. The main mechanism of hybrid incompatibility of BC1F1-BC1F8 plants was expressed as grass-clump dwarfism.

Chimera↗
PubMed2026

Resolving the "Yucca queretaroensis problem": Phylogenomic analysis of Yucca reveals the identity of an enigmatic species and the origin of an obligate pollination mutualism.

PREMISE: The genus Yucca is a group of ~50 species of woody monocots endemic to the North American arid regions. Their obligate pollination mutualism with yucca moths is considered a "textbook example" of coevolution and is hypothesized to have promoted rapid diversification. However, testing this hypothesis has been difficult due to uncertainty about the placement of a rogue taxon, Yucca queretaroensis, a rare endemic of the Sierra Gorda region of central Mexico. Past work placed this species in different positions within the Agavoideae, producing starkly different age estimates for Yucca (25 to 4 million years). METHODS: We generated new sequence capture data for 353 nuclear genes and for all coding regions of the plastid genome from wild-collected plants and samples included in previous studies to provide a new phylogeny and new age estimate for Yucca. RESULTS: The data presented here suggest that Y. queretaroensis is closely related to other species of Yucca. A relaxed molecular clock analysis of the plastid genome produced an estimated age for the genus of approximately 6.8 million years. CONCLUSIONS: The results resolve a mystery that has bedeviled evolutionary biologists for decades and provide a surprisingly young estimate for the age of Yucca, suggesting rapid diversification. The past difficulties in identifying the correct placement of Y. queretaroensis appear to be the product of laboratory errors, mistakes in field identification, and frequent hybridization with co-distributed taxa. The "Yucca queretaroensis problem" reaffirms the essential role for traditional botanical tools in phylogenomics.

ASTRAL↗
PubMed2026

Inducing fixation of transgenic alleles in open-pollinated populations.

The progeny of chlorsulfuron-resistant forage rape (Brassica napus L. subsp. napus, cv. Giant) and potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Iwa) plants hemizygous for a single transgenic locus were screened for transgene segregation following an application of either water or chlorsulfuron. The transgenic locus contained three transgenes conferring kanamycin resistance (NOS-NPTII-NOS), β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity (35S-GUS-OCS), and chlorsulfuron resistance (a complete acetohydroxyacid synthase gene with a proline197 to serine substitution). In the absence of the herbicide application, plants segregated for GUS activity as expected for single locus inheritance. However, the progeny of plants sprayed with chlorsulfuron exhibited a highly distorted segregation for GUS activity, with a significant excess of transgenic progeny. Inducing such biased segregation provides a simple treatment to rapidly drive the fixation of transgenic alleles to homozygosity in open pollinated populations during seed increases of new cultivars.

Alleles↗
PubMed2026

Museum specimens reveal the genomic consequences of long-term population decline in an insect pollinator.

Global insect pollinator populations are under threat, with reported declines attributed to increasing habitat loss, pesticide use, and disease. Tracking how genetic diversity has changed over time could reveal the rate and extent of these declines, and the adaptive capacity of affected species-providing an important complement to habitat-based conservation efforts. However, few studies have been able to reconstruct suitable historical baselines to link genomic changes with population change. Here, we use whole genome data from 101 museum specimens of the declining moss carder bumblebee (Bombus muscorum) collected across Britain and Ireland between 1894 and 2019 to reveal a dramatic drop in genetic diversity over the last century. We find a substantial (∼24.6%) reduction in genome-wide heterozygosity across Britain during this period. In England and Wales, where habitat fragmentation is most pronounced, we observe a 2.86-fold increase in runs of homozygosity, commensurate with population fragmentation and isolation. Our results reveal the extent to which human-induced environmental change can lead to severe decadal-scale genomic erosion in a functionally important insect. Identified using DNA from historic museum collections, our approach has widespread applicability for insect conservation and understanding the evolutionary consequences of environmental change.

Animals↗