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   Location:Home > Research > Research Progress
Pollination syndrome and compensatory floral mechanisms of two alpine gingers
Author: Zhang Zhiqiang
ArticleSource: XTBG
Update time: 2011-07-07
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The genus Roscoea is a small genus of 18 species in the ginger (Zingiberaceae) family. Species of Roscoea endemic to the Himalayan region have striking orchid-like flowers with long corolla tubes, suggesting a long-tongued insect floral syndrome. Until now, the reproductive biology of species of Roscoea has been poorly documented.

Through field observations and manipulated experiments, Dr. Zhang Zhiqiang and his teacherProf. LI Qingjun of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) tested the prediction that Roscoea species are currently, or were formerly, pollinated by a long-proboscoid pollinator in the Hengduan Mountains.

The research site was located at Ganhaizi (27°05′ N, 100°16′ E; 3120 m a.s.l.), a grassy and rocky slope on Mt. Yulong, 25 km north of Lijiang city, northwestern Yunnan Province, China.

  The researchers investigated the floral biology, breeding system and pollination ecology of R. cautleoides and R. humeana, which are perennial hermaphroditic herbs, reaching a height of 9–40 cm, from Hengduan Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot in southwest China. They also tested whether floral longevity increases pollination success. Pollination experiments showed that the two species were self-compatible and depended on insects for fruit production.

 

(Plants, flowers and pollinators of R. cautleoides and R. humeana. A: Plant of R. cautleoides. B: Plant of R. humeana. C: Flowers of R. cautleoides (right) and R. humeana (left); bar = 10 mm. D: Pollen-collecting bee Andrena sp. visiting a flower of R. cautleoides. E: Pollen-collecting bee Lasioglossum sp. visiting a flower of R. humeana.)

Their results suggest that the original pollinators may have been long-tongued insects that are now absent from the Chinese Himalayas because habitats have responded to climate change.

The study presents a striking example that compensatory floral mechanisms help to ensure reproductive success in light of the apparent loss of specialized pollinators.

The research entitled “Reproductive biology of two Himalayan alpine gingers (Roscoea spp., Zingiberaceae) in China: pollination syndrome and compensatory floral mechanisms” has been published in Plant Biology, 13 (4):582-589. DOI: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2010.00423.x

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Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
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