Articles
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON POLLINATION
Article number
437_7
Pages
83 – 102
Language
Abstract
Pollination results from the complex interplay between plants and their pollen vectors.
Mathematical theory provides an effective tool for disentangling these interactions, which often resist empirical analysis because of difficulties tracking pollen.
A review of pollination models illustrates different approaches to analyzing abiotic versus biotic pollination, which reflect the respective importance of fluid flow and animal behavior in pollen dispersal.
Regardless of the vector being portrayed, mechanistic pollination theory consistently predicts that pollen dispersal cannot be adequately described by either random pollination or exponential decline in pollen deposition as vectors move away from the pollen donor.
Animal pollination, in particular, should result in more extensive dispersal than described by exponential decline, despite differences between pollinators in the influences on pollen dynamics during transport.
In addition, models of animal pollination predict indicate that increased pollen removal by individual pollinators typically induce diminishing returns in pollen dispersal.
This result provides the basis for analyzing pollinator attraction as a tradeoff between number of attracted pollinators and pollination success per pollinator, which predicts that restriction of pollen removal per pollinator can promote total pollen dispersal.
Perhaps the most useful insight from pollination theory is recognition of the principle of pollen conservation (pollen export = pollen import within a closed population). This principle implies that pollen limitation of seed production, which is typically characterized as deficient female function, can result from inadequate male function.
We apply this perspective to explain the use of pollen as a pollinator reward by plants that rely on pollen-collecting bees as vectors.
Such examples illustrate the benefit of including theoretical approaches in pollination studies.
Mathematical theory provides an effective tool for disentangling these interactions, which often resist empirical analysis because of difficulties tracking pollen.
A review of pollination models illustrates different approaches to analyzing abiotic versus biotic pollination, which reflect the respective importance of fluid flow and animal behavior in pollen dispersal.
Regardless of the vector being portrayed, mechanistic pollination theory consistently predicts that pollen dispersal cannot be adequately described by either random pollination or exponential decline in pollen deposition as vectors move away from the pollen donor.
Animal pollination, in particular, should result in more extensive dispersal than described by exponential decline, despite differences between pollinators in the influences on pollen dynamics during transport.
In addition, models of animal pollination predict indicate that increased pollen removal by individual pollinators typically induce diminishing returns in pollen dispersal.
This result provides the basis for analyzing pollinator attraction as a tradeoff between number of attracted pollinators and pollination success per pollinator, which predicts that restriction of pollen removal per pollinator can promote total pollen dispersal.
Perhaps the most useful insight from pollination theory is recognition of the principle of pollen conservation (pollen export = pollen import within a closed population). This principle implies that pollen limitation of seed production, which is typically characterized as deficient female function, can result from inadequate male function.
We apply this perspective to explain the use of pollen as a pollinator reward by plants that rely on pollen-collecting bees as vectors.
Such examples illustrate the benefit of including theoretical approaches in pollination studies.
Publication
Authors
L. D. Harder, W. G. Wilson
Keywords
Online Articles (62)