Abstract

GARCIA, María T. Amela et al. Reproductive system and floral biology of Lantana camara (Verbenaceae) in a riparian population of the Río de la Plata. Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. [online]. 2019, vol.54, n.1, pp.1-5. ISSN 1851-2372.

Background and aims: The foral biology of Lantana camara, a native species of Central and South America and invasive cosmopolitan, still presents poorly-known and controversial aspects. The aim of this work was to determine the reproductive system, foral attributes and pollinators in a coastal population of Río de la Plata. M&M: The usual methods in pollination biology were employed. The study was per-formed in Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina, du-ring the spring of 2012. Results: The fowers emit mild and sweet odor by osmophores arranged around the foral tube entrance, in coincidence with the absorption-refection pattern in the UV spectrum. Nectar accumulates in the foral tube, probably secreted by trichomes situated at the petals base. During anthesis, three foral phases succeed, distinguis-hed by changes in corolla coloration, aroma intensity, reward quantity and anther and stigma maturity. The psychophilous fowers were visited by diurnal lepidopte-rans and by hymenopterans, dipterans and hummingbirds. The highest reproducti-ve success occurred with free pollination; the self-incompatibility and P/O indexes showed partial self-compatibility and facultative xenogamy, respectively. Conclusions: L. camara is capable of successful spontaneous self-pollination, pro-bably one reason of its global spread. Due to their activity on the fowers, visited foral phase, pollen load and frequency of visits, only the butterfies Agraulis vanillae maculosa, Dryas iullia alcionea and Cymaenes sp. would pollinate in this site.

Keywords : Lantana camara, facultative xenogamy, Lepidoptera, reproductive success, foral phases, UV refectance pattern, osmophores..

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )