FLIES AS POLLINATORS OF MELITTOPHILOUS SALVIA SPECIES (LAMIACEAE)

CELEP F., Atalay Z., Dikmen F., DOĞAN M., Classen-Bockhoff R.

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY, vol.101, no.12, pp.2148-2159, 2014 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 101 Issue: 12
  • Publication Date: 2014
  • Doi Number: 10.3732/ajb.1400422
  • Journal Name: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.2148-2159
  • Keywords: Apidae, bee pollination, fly pollination, Lamiaceae, morphometry, Nemestrinidae, pollinator efficiency, Salvia, Tabanidae, Turkey, STAMINAL LEVER MECHANISM, FLY POLLINATION, L. LAMIACEAE, DIPTERA, MORPHOLOGY, FLOWERS, POLLEN, PLANTS, MODES
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Premise of the study: Floral adaptation to a functional pollinator group does not necessarily mean close specialization to a few pollinator species. For the more than 950 species of Salvia, only bee and bird pollinations are known. Restriction to these pollinators is mainly due to the specific flower construction (lever mechanism). Nevertheless, it has been repeatedly suggested that Salvia flowers might also be pollinated by flies. Are flies able to handle the lever mechanism? Are they functionally equivalent pollinators? In this study, we compared and quantified pollen transfer by bees and flies to test whether flies are true pollinators in Salvia.