Reproductive biology in a tropical shrubland of Venezuelan Guayana

Abstract

Plant sexual systems were evaluated in a tropical shrubland community of Venezuelan Guayana. Of 89 plant species, 73.0% were hermaphrodite, 12.4% monoecious, 10.1 % submonoecious, and 4.5 % dioecious. Temporal variation of sexual expression showed that hermaphrodite species were mostly adichogamous and monoecious, submonoecious species dichogamous (protandrous andprotogynous). Herkogamy was an important mechanism promoting cross‐pollination. Of 38 hermaphrodite species, 39.5 % were herkogamous. Plant sexual systems were not associated with life form. Most species were pollinated mostly by large and medium‐size bees. Pollinator specificity and pollen load transportation, were higher for monoecious species than for hermaphrodite, submonoecious and dioecious ones. Both pollinator specificity and pollen transportation were not significantly different among representatives of the latter three sexual systems. Plant sexual systems were significantly associated with dispersal syndromes; dioecious species had bird‐dispersal syndromes, the other sexual systems mostly anemochory, epizoochory and endozoochory; but many hermaphrodites were anemochorous.