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Sustained mangrove reproduction despite major turnover in pollinator community composition at expanding range edge.

Authors
  • Nathan, Mayda1
  • Gruner, Daniel S1
  • 1 Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Type
Published Article
Journal
Annals of Botany
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Publication Date
Oct 04, 2023
Volume
132
Issue
1
Pages
107–120
Identifiers
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad085
PMID: 37389585
Source
Medline
Keywords
Language
English
License
Unknown

Abstract

How well plants reproduce near their geographic range edge can determine whether distributions will shift in response to changing climate. Reproduction at the range edge can be limiting if pollinator scarcity leads to pollen limitation, or if abiotic stressors affect allocation to reproduction. For many animal-pollinated plants with expanding ranges, the mechanisms by which they have overcome these barriers are poorly understood. In this study, we examined plant-pollinator interactions hypothesized to impact reproduction of the black mangrove, Avicennia germinans, which is expanding northward in coastal Florida, USA. We monitored insects visiting A. germinans populations varying in proximity to the geographic range edge, measured the pollen loads of the most common insect taxa and pollen receipt by A. germinans stigmas, and quantified flower and propagule production. We found that despite an 84 % decline in median floral visits by insects at northernmost versus southernmost sites, range-edge pollen receipt remained high. Notably, local floral visitor assemblages exhibited substantial turnover along the study's latitudinal gradient, with large-bodied bees and hover flies increasingly common at northern sites. We also observed elevated flower production in northern populations and higher per capita reproductive output at the range edge. Furthermore, mean propagule mass in northern populations was 18 % larger than that from the southernmost populations. These findings reveal no erosion of fecundity in A. germinans populations at range limits, allowing rapid expansion of mangrove cover in the region. These results also illustrate that substantial turnover in the assemblage of flower-visiting insects can occur at an expanding range edge without altering pollen receipt. © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].

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