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Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2006; 8(6): 791-804
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-924566
Research Paper

Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart KG · New York

Pollination Biology of Mass Flowering Terrestrial Utricularia Species (Lentibulariaceae) in the Indian Western Ghats

N. Hobbhahn1 , 2 , H. Küchmeister3 , S. Porembski2
  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
  • 2Institute of Biodiversity Research, Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Wismarsche Straße 8, 18051 Rostock, Germany
  • 3Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Working Group Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 2 - 3, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Received: November 15, 2005

Accepted: August 2, 2006

Publication Date:
03 January 2007 (online)

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Abstract

The pollination biology of three mass flowering Utricularia species of the Indian Western Ghats, U. albocaerulea, U. purpurascens, and U. reticulata, was studied for the first time by extensive observation of flower visitors, pollination experiments, and nectar analyses. The ephemerality of the Utricularia habitats on lateritic plateaus, weather conditions adverse to insects, lack of observations of flower visitors to other Utricularia spp., and the predominance of at least facultative autogamy in the few Utricularia species studied so far suggested that an autogamous breeding system is the common case in the genus. In contrast, we showed that the studied populations are incapable of autonomous selfing, or that it is an event of negligible rarity, although P/O was similarily low as in autogamous species investigated by other authors. In all three species the spatial arrangement of the reproductive organs makes an insect vector necessary for pollen transfer between and within flowers. However, U. purpurascens and U. reticulata are highly self-compatible, which allows for visitor-mediated auto-selfing and geitonogamy on inflorescence and clone level. Floral nectar is present in extremely small volumes in all three species, but sugar concentrations are high. More than 50 species of bees, butterflies, moths, hawk moths, and dipterans were observed to visit the flowers, and flower morphology facilitated pollination by all observed visitors. The results are discussed in the context of the phenological characteristics of the studied species, especially the phenomenon of mass flowering, and the environmental conditions of their habitats.

Key words

Lentibulariaceae - Utricularia - mass flowering - carnivory - India - Western Ghats - pollination.

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N. Hobbhahn

Department of Biological Sciences
University of Calgary

2500 University Drive NW

Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4

Canada

Email: n.hobbhahn@ucalgary.ca

Editor: H. Rennenberg

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