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Do plant ploidy and pollinator tongue length interact to cause low seed yield in red clover?

Hederström, Veronica LU ; Rundlöf, Maj LU orcid ; Birgersson, Göran LU ; Larsson, Mattias C. LU ; Balkenius, Anna LU and Lankinen, Åsa LU (2021) In Ecosphere 12(3).
Abstract

The loss of long-tongued pollinator species and dominance of a few short-tongued generalist species, related to agricultural intensification in recent decades, may have consequences for the quality, quantity, and stability of yields in insect-pollinated crops. Interestingly, the changes in pollinator community coincide with an increase in poor and variable seed yield in red clover, an important crop for green manure and forage production. However, to date we lack a holistic understanding of the factors that drive seed yield in red clover crops. To remedy this, we related plant and pollinator traits to pollinator visitation, behavior, and pollination efficiency in four diploid and five tetraploid red clover cultivars during three years... (More)

The loss of long-tongued pollinator species and dominance of a few short-tongued generalist species, related to agricultural intensification in recent decades, may have consequences for the quality, quantity, and stability of yields in insect-pollinated crops. Interestingly, the changes in pollinator community coincide with an increase in poor and variable seed yield in red clover, an important crop for green manure and forage production. However, to date we lack a holistic understanding of the factors that drive seed yield in red clover crops. To remedy this, we related plant and pollinator traits to pollinator visitation, behavior, and pollination efficiency in four diploid and five tetraploid red clover cultivars during three years in a common garden setting. Tetraploid cultivars produced 52% fewer seeds and 41% lower seed weight per flower head compared with diploid cultivars. They also had fewer flower heads per plant, larger florets, and lower pollen viability than diploids. Pollinator species with shorter tongues visited diploid cultivars more frequently than tetraploid cultivars. Pollinator species with longer tongues deposited more pollen and showed higher pollination efficiency in terms of seeds produced after single visits. Our results suggest that while both diploid and tetraploid red clover cultivars benefit from the presence of longer-tongued pollinator species, seed yield in tetraploid cultivars may be more sensitive to the loss of these bumble bee species in intensively cultivated agricultural landscapes.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
ploidy, pollinator efficiency, pollinator preference, pollinator tongue length, Trifolium pratense
in
Ecosphere
volume
12
issue
3
article number
e03416
publisher
Ecological Society of America
external identifiers
  • scopus:85103382343
ISSN
2150-8925
DOI
10.1002/ecs2.3416
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e01b75b7-b183-4c18-9e1e-f917ee92aec7
date added to LUP
2021-04-13 09:49:17
date last changed
2024-05-04 05:48:38
@article{e01b75b7-b183-4c18-9e1e-f917ee92aec7,
  abstract     = {{<p>The loss of long-tongued pollinator species and dominance of a few short-tongued generalist species, related to agricultural intensification in recent decades, may have consequences for the quality, quantity, and stability of yields in insect-pollinated crops. Interestingly, the changes in pollinator community coincide with an increase in poor and variable seed yield in red clover, an important crop for green manure and forage production. However, to date we lack a holistic understanding of the factors that drive seed yield in red clover crops. To remedy this, we related plant and pollinator traits to pollinator visitation, behavior, and pollination efficiency in four diploid and five tetraploid red clover cultivars during three years in a common garden setting. Tetraploid cultivars produced 52% fewer seeds and 41% lower seed weight per flower head compared with diploid cultivars. They also had fewer flower heads per plant, larger florets, and lower pollen viability than diploids. Pollinator species with shorter tongues visited diploid cultivars more frequently than tetraploid cultivars. Pollinator species with longer tongues deposited more pollen and showed higher pollination efficiency in terms of seeds produced after single visits. Our results suggest that while both diploid and tetraploid red clover cultivars benefit from the presence of longer-tongued pollinator species, seed yield in tetraploid cultivars may be more sensitive to the loss of these bumble bee species in intensively cultivated agricultural landscapes.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hederström, Veronica and Rundlöf, Maj and Birgersson, Göran and Larsson, Mattias C. and Balkenius, Anna and Lankinen, Åsa}},
  issn         = {{2150-8925}},
  keywords     = {{ploidy; pollinator efficiency; pollinator preference; pollinator tongue length; Trifolium pratense}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  publisher    = {{Ecological Society of America}},
  series       = {{Ecosphere}},
  title        = {{Do plant ploidy and pollinator tongue length interact to cause low seed yield in red clover?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3416}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/ecs2.3416}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}