Are floral traits good predictors of effective pollinators? A test of pollination syndromes

Pollination syndromes have been widely used to predict the groups of pollinators of plants. Their predictability has been demonstrated for plant species pollinated by bees, birds, and bats. However, the importance of other aspects on the predictability of pollination syndromes still remain unknown. For instance, plant life cycle has not been considered in evaluations of the pollination syndrome predictability. The goal of this study was to evaluate the predictability of pollination syndromes in nine species with contrasting life cycles. Pollination syndromes were inferred based on floral traits of each plant species, whereas pollinator effectiveness of each group of floral visitors was established through pollen load analysis. Predictability of pollination syndromes was tested through the association between floral traits and the abundance of the most-effective pollinators. Bees, flies, birds, beetles, and butterflies were the primary and secondary pollinators inferred from floral traits of each species. Although six out of the nine plant species studied were visited by effective pollinators; only four species were effectively pollinated by the groups of primary or secondary pollinators predicted from floral traits. However, Dahlia coccinea and Tigridia pavonia were the only species in which the predicted pollinator group was both effective and showed an association with floral traits. Pollination syndromes were not predictive of pollinators for any of the annual and perennial plant species. Although pollination syndromes are useful to understand some aspects of the reproductive biology of plant species, several other factors might have a role on their predictability.

Automated summary

Pollination syndromes have been shown to predict the groups of pollinators for plant species such as bees, birds, and bats. However, in a study involving nine plant species with varying life cycles, it was found that while six species were visited by effective pollinators, only four were effectively pollinated by the predicted primary or secondary pollinators. Dahlia coccinea and Tigridia pavonia were the only species where the predicted pollinator group was both effective and associated with floral traits. The predictability of pollination syndromes was not observed for annual and perennial plant species.