School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
PLoS One. 2023 Oct 19;18(10):e0292929. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292929. eCollection 2023.
Forest products derived from woody trees, such as fruits, seeds, honey, wood and others, are important resources for supporting rural livelihoods. However, little is known about the breeding systems or floral visitors of trees that provide these resources, often due to the difficulty of accessing tree canopies. This study addresses key knowledge gaps from a data poor region, providing information on the breeding systems and contribution of biotic pollination to two trees abundant in south-central Africa, that provide forest product supports for rural livelihoods: Julbernardia paniculata (Benth.) Troupin and Syzygium guineense (Willd.) subsp. barotsense F. White (Fabaceae and Myrtaceae respectively). The breeding systems of these species were assessed by conducting controlled pollination experiments, and then measuring the effects on reproductive success to determine the degree of self-compatibility and pollen limitation. Floral visitors and their behaviour were observed to provide preliminary information on possible pollinator groups. S. guineense appeared to be self-compatible, while J. paniculata showed signs of both self-incompatibility and pollen limitation. Floral visitors of both species were dominated by bees, with native honeybees (Apis mellifera) providing the highest visitation rates. These insights provide the first steps for understanding the reproductive ecology of these key tree species and can help to inform sustained management and conservation aimed at protecting forests and supporting rural livelihoods, as well as broaden the understanding of the floral visitors, and contribution of biotic pollination to forest tree reproductive success.
树木衍生的林产品，如果实、种子、蜂蜜、木材等，是支持农村生计的重要资源。然而，由于难以进入树冠，对于提供这些资源的树木的繁殖系统或传粉者知之甚少。本研究解决了一个数据匮乏地区的关键知识空白，提供了关于为中南部非洲丰富的两种为农村生计提供林产品支持的树木的繁殖系统和生物传粉贡献的信息：Julbernardia paniculata (Benth.) Troupin 和 Syzygium guineense (Willd.) subsp. barotsense F. White（分别为豆科和桃金娘科）。通过进行控制授粉实验评估了这些物种的繁殖系统，然后测量对繁殖成功的影响以确定自交亲和性和花粉限制的程度。观察了传粉者及其行为，以提供可能的传粉者群体的初步信息。S. guineense 似乎是自交亲和的，而 J. paniculata 表现出自交不亲和和花粉限制的迹象。两种物种的传粉者主要是蜜蜂，本地的蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）提供了最高的访问率。这些见解为了解这些关键树种的繁殖生态学提供了第一步，并有助于为保护森林和支持农村生计提供可持续管理和保护的信息，以及拓宽对传粉者的理解，以及生物传粉对森林树木繁殖成功的贡献。
