Buzz pollination is unusual in the Styphelioideae, Ericaceae. Sprengelia incarnata and S. propinqua have floral characteristics that suggested they might be adapted to buzz pollination, which has been mooted as a transitional stage to wind pollination. To test whether their flowers are adapted for buzz pollination we observed the behaviour of visiting animals and the floral, pollen and scent attributes of both species. We found that S. incarnata is sonicated by five short-tongued native bee species and S. propinqua is groomed by two. The introduced honeybee (Apis mellifera) visited S. propinqua but ignored S. incarnata. The two Sprengelia species have overlapping pollinator profiles, but have diverged enough in their pollen attributes to elicit different behaviours from the same bee species. Sprengelia propinqua has an additional functional group of potential pollinators: represented by the long-tongued A. mellifera. Both species had similar floral scent profiles but S. incarnata had smaller and drier pollen: a necessary pre-adaptation for ambophily and wind pollination.
History
Publication title
School of Geography & Environmental Studies Conference Abstracts 2010
Editors
Kare Boden
Department/School
School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences
Publisher
School of Geography & Environmental Studies
Place of publication
Hobart, Tasmania
Event title
School of Geography & Environmental Studies Conference, 2010
Event Venue
Sandy Bay
Date of Event (Start Date)
2010-06-28
Date of Event (End Date)
2010-06-28
Repository Status
Restricted
Socio-economic Objectives
Terrestrial biodiversity; Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences