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Vertebrate pollination of the endemic Trochetia granulata (Malvaceae) on Réunion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2013

Timothée Le Péchon ,
Mickaël Sanchez ,
Laurence Humeau ,
Luc D.B. Gigord  and
Li-Bing Zhang
Timothée Le Péchon*
Affiliation:
Chengdu Institute of Biology (CDBI), Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 416, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China Université de La Réunion (REU), Laboratoire LIM-IREMIA, 2 rue Joseph Wetzell, Bat. 2, F-97490 Sainte-Clotilde, La Réunion, France
Mickaël Sanchez
Affiliation:
Nature Océan Indien (NOI), 6 Lotissement les Magnolias, Rivière des Roches, F-97470 Saint-Benoît, La Réunion, France
Laurence Humeau
Affiliation:
Université de La Réunion (REU), UMR Peuplements Végétaux et Bio-Agresseurs en Milieu Tropical, 15 avenue René Cassin, CS 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis Cedex 9, La Réunion, France
Luc D.B. Gigord
Affiliation:
Conservatoire Botanique National de Mascarin (CBNM), 2, rue du Père Georges, F-97436 Saint-Leu, La Réunion, France
Li-Bing Zhang
Affiliation:
Chengdu Institute of Biology (CDBI), Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 416, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China Missouri Botanical Garden (M), P.O. Box 299, Saint-Louis, MO 63166-0299, USA
*
1Corresponding author. Email: lepechon@yahoo.com
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Abstract:

The pollination ecology and breeding system of Trochetia granulata (Malvaceae), an endemic tree species from Réunion were studied. In 2010–2011, compatibility studies were conducted on a total of 154 flowers from 35 different individuals using three different hand pollination treatments: (a) autofertility, (b) self-pollination and (c) cross-pollination. During the period, we also studied the pollination ecology of T. granulata. During 48 h of video recordings, we tracked flower visits to T. granulata in six different sites and studied the behaviour of the visitors. The results from the hand-cross experiments show that T. granulata is self-compatible (60.8% fruit set) but cannot produce fruit (5.4% fruit set) without the visit of a pollen vector. During surveys, four different visitors were reported: the introduced honey bee (Apis mellifera), two endemic species of white-eye (Zosterops borbonicus borbonicus and Z. olivaceus) and the endemic Réunion day gecko (Phelsuma borbonica). This study documented a new case of vertebrate-pollination by lizard and birds in an insular context. These interactions might be linked to several uncommon floral traits of Trochetia species.

Keywords

Apisgeckoislandplant–animal interactionsPhelsumaZosterops
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , July 2013 , pp. 353 - 356
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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References

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