Social wasps, crickets and cockroaches contribute to pollination of the holoparasitic plant Mitrastemon yamamotoi (Mitrastemonaceae) in southern Japan

Abstract

Mitrastemon yamamotoi is completely embedded within the tissues of its hosts, except during the reproductive stage, when aboveground parts emerge from host tissues. Its highly modified appearance has attracted attention of many botanists, but very little is known about the reproductive system. Floral visitors to M. yamamotoi were observed in southern Japan. Pollination experiments were conducted to determine the plant's self-compatibility and pollen limitation, as well as the contribution of diurnal and nocturnal visitors to fruit set and outcrossing. Mitrastemon yamamotoi is mainly pollinated by social wasps, but previously unnoticed pollinators (i.e. crickets and cockroaches) are also important, based on visitation frequency and pollen loads. Results of the pollination experiments suggest that nocturnal visitors, such as crickets and cockroaches, contribute to geitonogamous pollination, whereas diurnal visitors, such as social wasps, facilitate outcrossing. The unexpected pollinator assemblage of M. yamamotoi might be influenced by multiple factors, including the highly modified flowers that are produced close to the ground in dark understorey environments, the species’ winter-flowering habit and the location of the study site (i.e. near the northern limit of the species’ range). Considering that M. yamamotoi occurs widely in subtropical and tropical forests in Asia, additional studies are needed to assess pollinator assemblages of M. yamamotoi at other locations.