Reproductive success in fragmented habitats: do compatibility systems and pollination specialization matter?

AIZEN, M. A.; LORENA ASHWORTH; LEONARDO GALETTO

Journal of Vegetation Science

Wiley

Año: 2002 vol. 13 p. 885 - 892

1100-9233

This paper explores whether plant breeding system and pollination specialization influence the reproductive response of plants to habitat fragmentation, It is meaningful for conservation to predict a plant species' extinction risk, We found 25 studies in  fue literature assessing fue effects of habitat fragmentation on either pollination or reproductive success of 46 plant species to answer the following questions:         1. Are pollination and reproductive success of self-incompatible species more likely to decline with habitat fragmentatio than the pollination and reproductive success of  self-compatible species? Although most of  the species showed statistically significant negative effects, the pollination and of  self-incompatible species were as likely to decline with fragmentatlon as those of self-compatlble species. 2. Are pollination and reproductive success of specialist plants more affected than the pollination and reproduction of generallst plants? Comparisons of fragmentation-related changes in pollination and reproductive success between specialists generalists do not support the hypothesis that specialization in pollination increases fue risk of plant extinction. 3. Can self-incompatible species offset their expected higher vulnerability to  fragmentation by  being, on  average, more pollination  generalist than self-compatible species? In a larger data set on 260 species, we did not find significant differences in either the mean number or frequency distribution of  numbers of flower-visiting species or orders between self -compatible and self-incompatible species. Our review suggests that no generalizations can be made on  susceptibility to  fragmentation based on compatibility system and pollination specialization.