Evolution of Plant-pollinator Relationships

by Edited by Sébastien Patiny

• ISBN13: 9780521198929
• ISBN10: 0521198925
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-01-16
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

What are the evolutionary mechanisms and ecological implications behind a pollinator choosing its favourite flower? Sixty-five million years of evolution has created the complex and integrated system which we see today and understanding the interactions involved is key to environmental sustainability. Examining pollination relationships from an evolutionary perspective, this book covers both botanical and zoological aspects. It addresses the puzzling question of co-speciation and co-evolution and the complexity of the relationships between plant and pollinator, the development of which is examined through the fossil record. Additional chapters are dedicated to the evolution of floral displays and signalling, as well as their role in pollination syndromes and the building of pollination networks. Wide-ranging in its coverage, it outlines current knowledge and complex emerging topics, demonstrating how advances in research methods are applied to pollination biology.

Author Biography

Sbastien Patiny is a scientific collaborator in the Laboratory of Zoology, Universit de Mons, Belgium. A large part of his research focuses on desert species of bees, their distribution, and the importance of biogeographical features in some species-level radiations. He is currently developing a series of papers dedicated to the inference of large phylogenetic topologies.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	p. vii
Preface	p. xi
Macroevolution for plant reproductive biologists	p. 1
Pollination crisis, plant sex systems, and predicting evolutionary trends in attractiveness	p. 28
Evolution and ecological implications of "specialized" pollinator rewards	p. 44
Fig-fig wasp mutualism' the fall of the strict cospeciation paradigm?	p. 68
Fossil bees and their plant associates	p. 103
Pollen evidence for the pollination biology of early flowering plants	p. 165
Pollinator mediated floral divergence in the absence of pollinator shifts	p. 237
Animal pollination and speciation in plants: general mechanisms and examples from the orchids	p. 263
Why are floral signals complex? An outline of functional hypotheses	p. 279
A survey on pollination modes in cacti and a potential key innovation	p. 301
Zygomorphy, area, and the latitudinal biodiversity gradient in angiosperms	p. 320
Ambophily and "super generalism" in Ceratonia siliqua (Fabaceae) pollination	p. 344
Structure and dynamics of pollination networks: the past, present, and future	p. 374
Pollinators as drivers of plant distribution and assemblage into communities	p. 392
Effects of alien species on plant-pollinator interactions: how can native plants adapt to changing pollination regimes?	p. 414
Pollen resources of non-Aprs bees in southern Africa	p. 439
Advances in the study of the evolution of plant-pollinator relationships	p. 458
Index	p. 469
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