Arisaema plants use a unique “lethal deceptive pollination” strategy, trapping and killing their insect pollinators.
Arisaema plants and their fungus gnat pollinators have an unusual relationship. The plants kill their pollinators. Nakazawa and colleagues studied how the plants and pollinators interact. Their research, published in Annals of Botany, found that these plants can reduce pollinator numbers and even cause both species to go extinct.
Using mathematical models, the researchers explored how these plants and insects interact over time. They discovered that Arisaema‘s survival depends on a careful balance: plants need to attract enough insects for pollination, but not so many that the insect population crashes.
Interestingly, the study revealed that human activities have complex effects on these plants. While deer eating competing plants can initially help Arisaema, it may ultimately harm them by destroying insect habitats. The researchers also found that collecting female plants for gardens can be particularly damaging to wild populations.
The research has implications for conservation, particularly in Japan, the centre of species diversity for Arisaema, where a third of species are endangered. The model highlights the importance of conserving a plentiful supply of pollinators, as well the the plants themselves.
There has long been a concern over a gap between theoretical ecology and natural history research. We believe that bridging the gap can open a new research avenue for pollination biology and conservation management of many unique plants.
Nakazawa et al. 2024. When is lethal deceptive pollination maintained? A population dynamics approach. Annals of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcae108
Source link
