The relative importance of diurnal and nocturnal pollinators of Platanthera hologlottis Maxim. (Orchidaceae)

• Main Authors: Mitsuru Hattori, Yoko Tamada, Takao Itino
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020-01-01
• Series: Journal of Plant Interactions
• Subjects: diurnal pollination; nocturnal pollination; moth-pollination syndrome; mutualism; platanthera hologlottis
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2020.1754476

Most flowering plants are visited by various pollinator insects. To understand floral specialization for pollinators, the relative importance of different flower visitors to the focal plant species should be revealed. In the present study, we observed the insects that visited the orchid Platanthera hologlottis throughout the day and night using interval timer photography to reveal the relative importance of diurnal and nocturnal flower visitors. We observed visitation by both diurnal (e.g. the butterfly Ochlodes ochraceus) and nocturnal (e.g. the moth Thysanoplusia intermixta) insects and examined their relative contribution to fruit production and pollinarium removal experimentally. Results showed that the fitness was higher in flowers visited by nocturnal insects than in those visited by diurnal insects. These results suggest that the floral traits of P. hologlottis may be specialized for nocturnal flower visitors rather than diurnal flower visitors.