Mice pollinate the Pagoda Lily, Whiteheadia bifolia (Hyacinthaceae) - First field observations with photographic documentation of rodent pollination in South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorWester P.
dc.contributor.authorStanway R.
dc.contributor.authorPauw A.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T15:54:48Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T15:54:48Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.description.abstractFor the first time in South Africa nocturnal rodent pollination was observed and photographed under natural conditions. In the Northern Cederberg area of the Western Cape field studies and experiments showed that flowers of Whiteheadia bifolia (Hyacinthaceae) are visited at night by rodents, mainly the Namaqua Rock Mouse Aethomys namaquensis. The mice were observed licking nectar while being dusted with pollen and touching the stigmas. No other visitors were observed during the day or night. W. bifolia pollen was found around the snouts and in the faeces of live-trapped mice, the latter likely as a result of grooming their fur, since they visited the flowers without eating or destroying them. W. bifolia has characters of the rodent pollination floral syndrome such as visually inconspicuous, bowl-shaped flowers close to the ground, with stiff stamens as well as easily accessible, very viscous nectar and a weak, slightly sourish-nutty scent. Furthermore, these findings support the hypothesis that pollination syndromes can be used to make testable predictions about floral trait evolution due to pollinator selection. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationSouth African Journal of Botany
dc.identifier.citation75
dc.identifier.citation4
dc.identifier.issn2546299
dc.identifier.other10.1016/j.sajb.2009.07.005
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/9411
dc.subjectevolutionary biology
dc.subjectfloral trait
dc.subjectflower visiting
dc.subjectmonocotyledon
dc.subjectnectarivory
dc.subjectphotography
dc.subjectplant-pollinator interaction
dc.subjectrodent
dc.subjectselection
dc.subjectAfrica
dc.subjectCederberg
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.subjectSouthern Africa
dc.subjectSub-Saharan Africa
dc.subjectWestern Cape
dc.subjectAethomys namaquensis
dc.subjectHyacinthaceae
dc.subjectLilium
dc.subjectMus
dc.subjectRodentia
dc.subjectWhiteheadia bifolia
dc.titleMice pollinate the Pagoda Lily, Whiteheadia bifolia (Hyacinthaceae) - First field observations with photographic documentation of rodent pollination in South Africa
dc.typeArticle
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