Gottstein Malika, Thiel Sarina, Vornhagen Jan Lukas, Mengel Christina, Tschapka Marco, Heymann Eckhard W, Heer Katrin
Eva Mayr-Stihl Professorship for Forest Genetics, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau Germany.
Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science Berlin Germany.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Aug 23;15(8):e72050. doi: 10.1002/ece3.72050. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Pollen dispersal is a key driver of gene flow in plant populations, shaping their spatial genetic structure (SGS). In tropical forests, plant-pollinator interactions vary across vertical strata due to differences in microclimate, resource availability, and foraging behavior. Bats are an important tropical pollinator group and have been observed to exhibit vertical stratification in their foraging activity, with interaction frequencies differing across forest layers. They are highly mobile and expected to transport pollen over long distances; however, their actual contribution to gene flow has rarely been investigated. , a bat-pollinated Neotropical liana, offers a unique system for studying gene flow across forest strata. Unlike most other plant species, produces flowers from the forest floor to the canopy, allowing us to study how bat pollination differs across strata. This study examines pollen dispersal distances, the vertical stratification of gene flow, and SGS in at a 100 ha study site in western Amazonia. Pollen dispersal distances were up to 1350 m, with longer distances observed in the understory and midstory, where bat foraging activity is more frequent. We detected no SGS, suggesting extensive gene flow facilitated by bat pollination across forest strata. These findings underscore the critical role of bats in shaping plant genetic structure and demonstrate how vertical forest stratification influences gene flow in tropical ecosystems.
花粉传播是植物种群基因流动的关键驱动力，塑造着它们的空间遗传结构（SGS）。在热带森林中，由于小气候、资源可用性和觅食行为的差异，植物与传粉者的相互作用在垂直层次间各不相同。蝙蝠是重要的热带传粉者群体，并且已观察到它们在觅食活动中表现出垂直分层现象，不同森林层的相互作用频率有所不同。它们具有高度的移动性，预计能将花粉远距离传播；然而，它们对基因流动的实际贡献却很少被研究。一种由蝙蝠传粉的新热带藤本植物，为研究跨森林层次的基因流动提供了一个独特的系统。与大多数其他植物物种不同，这种植物从森林地面到树冠层都会开花，这使我们能够研究蝙蝠传粉在不同层次间是如何不同的。本研究在亚马逊西部一个100公顷的研究地点，考察了这种植物的花粉传播距离、基因流动的垂直分层以及空间遗传结构。花粉传播距离可达1350米，在林下和中层观察到的传播距离更长，而蝙蝠在这些地方的觅食活动更为频繁。我们未检测到空间遗传结构，这表明蝙蝠传粉促进了跨森林层次的广泛基因流动。这些发现强调了蝙蝠在塑造植物遗传结构中的关键作用，并证明了森林垂直分层如何影响热带生态系统中的基因流动。
