Temporal variation in pollen dispersal and breeding structure in a bee-pollinated Neotropical tree

Abstract

Variation among flowering seasons in the time of flowering, synchrony and length of flowering, and fluctuations in the abundance of pollinators may cause a variation in pollen dispersal distance. In this study, we analyzed the temporal variation in pollen dispersal and breeding structure in the Neotropical tree species Tabebuia aurea (Bignoniaceae) and evaluated pollen dispersal between a population inside the reserve and a patch of isolated individuals on the edge of the reserve, and tested the hypothesis that isolated individuals are sinking for pollen. All adult trees (260) within a population of 40 ha and 9 isolated individuals on the edge of the reserve were sampled, and from these adults, 21 open-pollinated progeny arrays were analyzed in 2 flowering seasons (309 seeds in 2004 and 328 in 2005). Genetic analyses were based on the polymorphism at 10 microsatellite loci. A high proportion of self-pollination found in both flowering seasons indicated a mixed-mating system. The mean pollen dispersal distance differed significantly between the two flowering seasons (307.78 m in 2004 and 396.26 m in 2005). Maximum pollen dispersal was 2608 m, but most pollination events (65%) occurred at distances <300 m. Our results also showed that isolated individuals are sinking for pollen, with high pollen flow between the population inside the reserve and individuals on the edge. These results are most likely due to the large pollinator species, which can potentially fly long distances, and also due to temporal variation in individual fecundity and contribution to pollen dispersal.