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Annals of Botany 86: 815-820, 2000
© 2000 Annals of Botany Company

Nectar Amount, Pollinator Visit Duration and Pollination Success in the Mediterranean Shrub Cistus creticus

Y. Manetas+ and Y. Petropoulou

Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patras, 265 00, Greece

Received: 7 April 2000 ; Returned for revision: 19 May 2000 . Accepted: 21 June 2000

We have re-examined the nectar status of Cistus creticus, a plant that was previously thought to be an almost exclusive pollen donor. Although attempts to extract nectar with the microcapillary method failed, rinsates of the flower interior yielded considerable amounts of sugar, yet with high interplant variation. Enzymatic microassays revealed that secreted sugar is adsorbed onto the surfaces of the numerous filaments surrounding the nectary, on the dense pubescence of the ovary surrounded by the nectary and on the yellow base of the purplish-pink, free, obovate petals. The conclusion that C. creticus is an efficient nectar donor was further strengthened by video recording the behaviour of bees and by the high frequency of nectar thieves. We propose that the shallow flower shape and the overheating caused by solar tracking facilitate evaporative concentration of nectar. Alternatively (or in addition), the morphological proximity of the nectary to the filaments and the ovary pubescence facilitates adsorption and the capillary action of the cell walls works antagonistically to glass microcapillaries precluding nectar collection. Addition of artificial nectar in the field had no effect on bee visit frequency but it increased visit duration significantly and decreased abortion rates. In addition, seed yield was increased, especially under insect-limited conditions. We conclude that C. creticus is a nectar donor, and that nectar variation in the field may modify pollinator behaviour and affect pollination success and the fitness of the plant. Copyright 2000 Annals of Botany Company

Cistus creticus, insect behaviour, nectar manipulation, pollination success, visit duration


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