A piece of the puzzle: a method for comparing pollination quality and quantity across multiple species and reproductive events

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03932.x
• Publication Date: 2011-10-18T13:41:28Z
• Authors: Conchita Alonso; Carlos M. Herrera; Tia‐Lynn Ashman
• Keywords: Plant reproduction; Pollen source; Sexual reproduction; Zoophily; Limiting

Summary Understanding how pollination affects plant reproductive success and changes in service affect populations, communities ecosystems is of increasing concern. Yet supplemental hand‐pollination traditionally used to assess pollen limitation prohibitive for large‐scale comparative work. Moreover, it does not differentiate between quality quantity aspects limitation, may suffer from confounds post‐pollination processes such as resource availability fill seeds. Here, we highlight tubes the functional link arrival seed production suggest that consideration leads a better depiction at pre‐zygotic (pollination) phase sexual reproduction. We assessed rigor piecewise regression analyze relationship numbers grains observed nonmanipulated wilted flowers. illustrate parameters obtained this analysis provide quantitative insight into relative relevance receipt limiting natural success, can facilitate comparisons among data sets. This nonmanipulative method opens up new opportunities rigorous assessment importance reproduction, especially community‐wide perspective.