Temporal and spatial variation of the pollinator assemblages in Alstroemeria ligtu (Alstroemeriaceae)

Abstract

Plant-pollinator interactions have been seen as a co-adaptative process between pollinators and flowers (Johnson and Steiner 2000). Even though specialized pollinator systems do exist, most plants are pollinated by a wide spectrum of pollinators (Ollerton 1996; Waser et al. 1996). Accordantly, the degree of generalization in a plant-pollinator system may vary temporally and spatially in relation to biotic or abiotic environment fluctuations (see Gómez and Perfectti 2009, for review). In general, spatial variation has been invoked as the most important factor in the maintenance of generalization (Herrera 1996; Fenster et al. 2004), and temporal variation has been underlooked (but see Williams et al. 2001; Gómez 2002). In the long run, pollinator variation can be translated into inter-population variation in the degree of generalization, which subsequently can affect the reproductive success of plant species (Suárez et al. 2009; Botto-Mahan et al. 2011).