Insects wearing two hats solve botanical mystery

(Press-News.org) The discovery of a unique case where the same insect species both pollinate a plant and distribute its seeds not only solves a long-standing botanical mystery. The Kobe University find also stresses the diverse roles insects play in our ecosystem.

In the dark and moist understories of the subtropical forests of Shimoshima Island in Japan grow parasitic plants that feed on the roots of other plants. They are called Balanophora, and for over a century, the mechanism of their seed dispersal has remained a mystery. It has been suggested that the tiny seeds are carried away by the wind, but there is little to no wind in the understories of (sub)tropical forests. Some plant species among the Balanophora are bright red, resembling strawberries, and attract birds and rabbits to eat and thus disperse the seeds. However, others, like Balanophora subcupularis, have dull colors and a yeasty smell, making it unlikely that vertebrates are involved. The mechanism of the plant’s pollination has similarly remained unclear. 

The Kobe University botanist SUETSUGU Kenji specializes in understanding the interactions between these parasitic plants and their surrounding ecosystems, including the often overlooked but crucial role of invertebrate pollinators and seed dispersers. To find out who aids B. subcupularis in its reproduction, he and his team watched the plants for more than 100 hours and took tens of thousands of automated night photographs while the flower was in bloom or bore fruit, identifying the visitors. In addition, they conducted both animal exclusion experiments and seed feeding experiments to ascertain whether the animals on the photographs are actually effective pollinators and seed dispersers.

In two back-to-back papers published in the journal Ecology, the Kobe University team published that B. subcupularis is pollinated by ants and camel crickets, which visit the plants for their pollen and nectar. Remarkably, these same species also later feed on the fleshy leaves carrying the seeds, aiding in seed dispersal. “It is well known that many plants rely on insects for pollination, although it’s rare for ants and crickets. Also, many plants use birds and mammals to distribute their fruits, and again it’s very unusual that crickets or other tiny arthropods take over this role. Even more striking, it is very rare for the same animal to perform both functions, and it is unique that the same invertebrates do so,” says Suetsugu on his surprise about this finding.

The Kobe University botanist suggests that this rare combination of pollination and seed distribution roles may be influenced by two factors. First, “B. subcupularis blooms late in the year when many typical pollinators, such as bees, are less active. In addition, our study site is a small island at the northern edge of the plant’s distribution, which might contribute to the scarcity of pollinators and seed dispersers.”

Suetsugu also highlights the broader implications of these findings: “This underscores the importance of invertebrates in plant reproduction and encourages us to look deeper into how these relationships evolve and what environmental factors drive such unique adaptations. More practically, our findings also contribute to conservation strategies for rare and endangered plants like Balanophora subcupularis. Understanding their reliance on specific invertebrates for both pollination and seed dispersal helps inform habitat preservation efforts and the management of invertebrate populations, which are crucial for these plants’ survival.”

This research was funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (grant JPMJPR21D6).

Kobe University is a national university with roots dating back to the Kobe Commercial School founded in 1902. It is now one of Japan’s leading comprehensive research universities with nearly 16,000 students and nearly 1,700 faculty in 10 faculties and schools and 15 graduate schools. Combining the social and natural sciences to cultivate leaders with an interdisciplinary perspective, Kobe University creates knowledge and fosters innovation to address society’s challenges.

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