Leucojum aestivum L. is a wetland-dependent perennial geophyte occurring in Europe and western Asia. It is self-incompatible, with high level of fruit-set and seed-set. Yet, its pollinators are poorly known. Here, we present the most recent research on potential pollinators of L. aestivum. We collected data on flower-visiting and pollen-carrying arthropods in three populations of the species in the River Po plain (N-Italy), where L. aestivum occurs mainly in forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus sp. pl. close to rivers. We studied a wild population, a new reintroduced population and an ex situ population located at the Botanical Garden of the University of Pavia. Our study identified 18 arthropod taxa carrying L. aestivum pollen; the soft-winged flower beetle Dasytes plumbeus (Coleoptera: Melyridae) and the sac-spider Clubiona sp. pl. (Araneae: Clubionidae) were the most frequent visitors. Hymenoptera only occasionally visited L. aestivum flowers (e.g. the sweat bee Lasioglossum punctatissimum). D. plumbeus, the long-horned beetle Grammoptera ruficornis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Clubiona sp. pl. and L. punctatissimum resulted in the taxa with the highest average abundance of pollen grains on their body suggesting a potential role in L. aestivum pollination. Differences in flower-visiting and pollen-carrying arthropods were observed between the three populations, with a decreasing taxonomic diversity of visiting species from the wild population to the ex situ population. Our results, based on direct observation in the field, are partially in contrast with a previous study on L. aestivum pollinators that suggested diurnal and nocturnal Lepidoptera and occasionally bees as main pollinators for the species.

Maggi, L.A., Abeli, T., Rossi, G., Gobbi, M. (2021). Flower-visiting and pollen-carrying arthropods of Leucojum aestivum L. (Amaryllidaceae) in wild, reintroduced and ex situ populations. PLANT ECOLOGY, 222(8), 965-975 [10.1007/s11258-021-01154-0].

Flower-visiting and pollen-carrying arthropods of Leucojum aestivum L. (Amaryllidaceae) in wild, reintroduced and ex situ populations

Abeli T.
Conceptualization
;
2021-01-01

Abstract

Leucojum aestivum L. is a wetland-dependent perennial geophyte occurring in Europe and western Asia. It is self-incompatible, with high level of fruit-set and seed-set. Yet, its pollinators are poorly known. Here, we present the most recent research on potential pollinators of L. aestivum. We collected data on flower-visiting and pollen-carrying arthropods in three populations of the species in the River Po plain (N-Italy), where L. aestivum occurs mainly in forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus sp. pl. close to rivers. We studied a wild population, a new reintroduced population and an ex situ population located at the Botanical Garden of the University of Pavia. Our study identified 18 arthropod taxa carrying L. aestivum pollen; the soft-winged flower beetle Dasytes plumbeus (Coleoptera: Melyridae) and the sac-spider Clubiona sp. pl. (Araneae: Clubionidae) were the most frequent visitors. Hymenoptera only occasionally visited L. aestivum flowers (e.g. the sweat bee Lasioglossum punctatissimum). D. plumbeus, the long-horned beetle Grammoptera ruficornis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Clubiona sp. pl. and L. punctatissimum resulted in the taxa with the highest average abundance of pollen grains on their body suggesting a potential role in L. aestivum pollination. Differences in flower-visiting and pollen-carrying arthropods were observed between the three populations, with a decreasing taxonomic diversity of visiting species from the wild population to the ex situ population. Our results, based on direct observation in the field, are partially in contrast with a previous study on L. aestivum pollinators that suggested diurnal and nocturnal Lepidoptera and occasionally bees as main pollinators for the species.
2021
Maggi, L.A., Abeli, T., Rossi, G., Gobbi, M. (2021). Flower-visiting and pollen-carrying arthropods of Leucojum aestivum L. (Amaryllidaceae) in wild, reintroduced and ex situ populations. PLANT ECOLOGY, 222(8), 965-975 [10.1007/s11258-021-01154-0].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11590/393280
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