INVESTIGADORES
NATTERO Julieta
artículos
Título:
POLLINATION ECOLOGY OF THE INVASIVE TREE 1 TOBACCO NICOTIANA 2 GLAUCA: COMPARISONS ACROSS NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE RANGES
Autor/es:
JEFF OLLERTON, STELLA WATTS, SHAWN CONNERTY, JULIA LOCK, LEAH PARKER, IAN WILSON, SHEILA K. SCHUELLER, JULIETA NATTERO, ANDREA A. COCUCCI, IDO IZHAKI, SJIRK GEERTS, ANTON PAUW AND JANE C. STOUT
Revista:
Journal of Pollination Ecology
Editorial:
ELI (Earth and Life Institute) Université Catholique de Louvain
Referencias:
Año: 2012 vol. 9 p. 85 - 95
ISSN:
1920-7603
Resumen:
Interactions with pollinators are thought to play a significant role in determining whether plant
species become invasive, and ecologically generalised species are predicted to be more likely to invade than more
specialised species. Using published and unpublished data we assessed the floral biology and pollination ecology of
the South American native Nicotiana glauca (Solanaceae) which has become a significant invasive of semi-arid parts
of the world. In regions where specialised bird pollinators are available, for example hummingbirds in California and
sunbirds in South Africa and Israel, N. glauca interacts with these local pollinators and sets seed by both outcrossing
and selfing. In areas where there are no such birds, such as the Canary Islands and Greece, abundant viable
seed is set by selfing, facilitated by the shorter stigma-anther distance compared to plants in native populations.
Surprisingly, in these areas without pollinating birds, the considerable nectar resources are only rarely exploited by
other flower visitors such as bees or butterflies, either legitimately or by nectar robbing. We conclude that Nicotiana
glauca is a successful invasive species outside of its native range, despite its functionally specialised hummingbird
pollination system, because it has evolved to become more frequently self pollinating in areas where it is introduced.
Its invasion success is not predictable from what is known of its interactions with pollinators in its home range.