Llorens Leonardo, Cortés Lucas, Boira Herminio
Interdisciplinary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
Independent Researcher, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Front Plant Sci. 2023 Jun 26;14:1155896. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1155896. eCollection 2023.
Small islands play a critical role in the study of plant ecology and evolution. Here, we reveal the ecology of , an endemic plant that thrives in a micro-island environment in the Western Mediterranean region. Through a detailed characterization of the habitat, including plant communities, microclimate, soil properties, and germination assays, we examine the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the distribution of this endangered species. We also analyze its pollination biology, evaluate the success of vegetative propagation, and discuss its potential use in conservation strategies. Our results show that is a characteristic species of the shrub ornitocoprophilous insular vegetation of the Western Mediterranean. The seeds have a very low dispersion capacity outside the islet and that seed-derived plants have higher survival rates under drought conditions than those vegetatively propagated. The main volatile compound emitted from the pseudanthia is phenol which attracts the plants' main and almost exclusive pollinators in the islet, flies. Our results confirm the relictual status of and highlight the importance of key adaptive traits that enable the survival of this species in the harsh micro-island environment of Ses Margalides.
小岛屿在植物生态学和进化研究中发挥着关键作用。在此，我们揭示了一种地方性植物的生态，该植物在地中海西部地区的一个微型岛屿环境中繁茂生长。通过对栖息地的详细特征描述，包括植物群落、小气候、土壤特性和发芽试验，我们研究了生物和非生物因素对这种濒危物种分布的影响。我们还分析了它的传粉生物学，评估了营养繁殖的成功率，并讨论了其在保护策略中的潜在用途。我们的结果表明，该植物是西地中海灌木类嗜鸟粪岛屿植被的特征物种。种子在小岛屿之外的扩散能力非常低，而且由种子衍生的植物在干旱条件下的存活率高于通过营养繁殖的植物。从聚伞花序中释放出的主要挥发性化合物是苯酚，它吸引了小岛屿上该植物主要且几乎唯一的传粉者——苍蝇。我们的结果证实了该植物的残遗状态，并突出了关键适应性状的重要性，这些性状使该物种能够在塞斯马尔加利斯恶劣的微型岛屿环境中生存。
