Facilitation and competition among plants sharing pollinators have contrasting consequences for plant fitness. However, it is unclear whether pollinator-mediated facilitation and competition may affect pollen limitation (potential contribution of pollination to fitness) in pollination networks. Here, we investigated how pollinator sharing affects pollen limitation in a tropical hummingbird-pollinated community marked by facilitation. We employed indices describing how much a plant species potentially affects the pollination of other co-flowering species through shared pollinators (acting degree) and is affected by other co-flowering species (target degree) within the plant-hummingbird network. Since facilitation often increases pollination quantity but not necessarily quality, we expected both indices to be associated with reductions in pollen limitation estimates that depend on pollination quantity (fruit set and seed number) rather than estimates more strictly related to quality (seed weight and germination). We found that both indices were associated with reductions in pollen limitation only for seed weight and germination. Thus, facilitation occurred via qualitative estimates of pollen limitation. Our results suggest that facilitation may enhance plant fitness estimates even if quantitative components of plant fecundity are already saturated. Overall, we showed that pollinator-mediated indirect effects in a multispecies context are important drivers of plant fitness estimates with consequences for coexistence in diverse communities.
Mate limitation in small populations can reduce reproductive fitness, hinder population growth, and increase extinction risk. Mate limitation is exacerbated in self-incompatible (SI) taxa, where shared S-alleles further restrict mating. Theory suggests genetic drift as a predictor of mate limitation and the breakdown of SI systems.
- Plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are crucial for moving lipids between membranes, impacting pollen wall development, including the pollen aperture structure.
- The study focuses on a rice mutant called pollen aperture defect 1 (Ospad1), which shows male sterility due to abnormal pollen grain development linked to a non-specific LTP that fails to properly bind lipids.
- Researchers found that OsPAD1 interacts with a gene involved in pollen development, providing new insights into how LTPs function in forming pollen apertures, which could have broader implications for other cereal crops.
Background: Pollen is a crucial source of nutrients and energy for pollinators. It also provides a unique habitat and resource for microbiota. Previous research on the microbiome of pollen has largely focused on angiosperm systems, with limited research into coniferous gymnosperms.
Mutations in the CsEMS1 gene result in male sterility and reduced wart number and density. Male sterility and fruit wart formation are two significant agronomic characteristics in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), yet knowledge of our underlying genetics is limited. In this study, we identified an EMS-induced male sterility and few small warts mutant (msfsw).
State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
Measurement of masses of microscale objects or weak force with ultrahigh sensitivity (down to nanogram/piconewton level) and compact configuration is highly desired for fundamental research and applications in various disciplines. Here, by using freestanding gold flakes with high reflectivity (≈98% at 980 nm) as the sample tray and silica microfibers with extremely low spring constant (≈0.05 mN m) as the cantilever beams, miniature capacitive balances are reported with piconewton-level detection limit (picobalances) and reliable radiation force-based calibration.
