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The potential pollinators of Nypa fruticans Wurmb. were studied from February to August 2013 after determining the natural pollinating strategy of the palm in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines. Observations showed that all six replicates of both the emasculated inflorescence (percent fruit set, 42.17±33.16) and the untouched (control) i...
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The potential pollinators of Nypa fruticans Wurmb. were studied from February to August 2013 after determining the natural pollinating strategy of the palm in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines. Observations showed that all six replicates of both the emasculated inflorescence (percent fruit set, 42.17±33.16) and the untouched (control) i...
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... Multiple male spikes on each inflorescence open in succession over the next several days and produce large amounts of pollen. Nipa palms rely on insects for pollination (Essig 1973;Mantiquilla et al. 2016), as the spikey pollen grains are both sticky and heavy, making wind transport highly unlikely (Fig. 2). During receptivity, stigmatic fluid is present on the three separate carpels that make up each female flower and are arranged in a tight, single head ( Fig. 1B). ...
... These characteristics suggest N. fruticans is not adapted for anemophily as a primary mode of pollen transfer, but rather point to entomophily as the principal means to reproduction. Studies from its native range in Southeast Asia highlight beetles, weevils, flies, and bees as potential pollinators of N. fruticans (Essig 1973;Tan 2008;Mantiquilla et al. 2016;Panabang et al. 2017;Straarup et al. 2018). To our surprise, these native pollinator groups were extremely rare on nipa inflorescences in the garden. ...
... Flies were the second most common visitor to nipa at MBC, yet their abundance paled in comparison to the number of ants recorded. Within nipa's native range, flies are repeatedly cited as potential pollinators (Essig 1973, Mantiquilla et al. 2016, Panabang et al. 2017. Diptera were the most abundant insects (48%) in Philippines' nipa stands, followed by Coleoptera (beetles; 22%) (Panabang et al. 2017). ...
When plants are removed from their native habitat, reproduction can be compromised if pollinators are absent, especially when plant-pollinator interactions are species-specific and the plant is self-incompatible. To avoid these pitfalls, botanic gardens often use hand pollination to ensure reproductive success of their living collections, an important aspect of ex-situ conservation. The nipa palm, Nypa fruticans, presents an interesting case study of pollination in a botanic garden and a plant's ability to successfully reproduce outside its native range without assisted pollination. Nypa fruticans has been growing at Montgomery Botanical Center (MBC) in South Florida since 1984, but for years required hand pollination to produce viable fruit. A recent shift from hand pollination to unassisted pollination suggests that this palm has found an alternative to fertilize its flowers. We investigate possible pollinators and new opportunities for pollination outside the palm's native range. Rather than the insects typically associated with N. fruticans pollination in its native range in Southeast Asia (i.e., flies and beetles), ants, specifically Paratrechina longicornis, were overwhelmingly the most abundant visitors to nipa palm inflorescences at MBC and likely represent an important pollinator or facilitator of pollination at the garden. Pollination research at botanic gardens complements in-situ field studies and provides important insights into the flexibility of pollination systems to achieve reproductive success outside a plant's native range.
... Multiple male spikes on each inflorescence open in succession over the next several days and produce large amounts of pollen. Nipa palms rely on insects for pollination (Essig 1973;Mantiquilla et al. 2016), as the spikey pollen grains are both sticky and heavy, making wind transport highly unlikely (Fig. 2). During receptivity, stigmatic fluid is present on the three separate carpels that make up each female flower and are arranged in a tight, single head ( Fig. 1B). ...
... These characteristics suggest N. fruticans is not adapted for anemophily as a primary mode of pollen transfer, but rather point to entomophily as the principal means to reproduction. Studies from its native range in Southeast Asia highlight beetles, weevils, flies, and bees as potential pollinators of N. fruticans (Essig 1973;Tan 2008;Mantiquilla et al. 2016;Panabang et al. 2017;Straarup et al. 2018). To our surprise, these native pollinator groups were extremely rare on nipa inflorescences in the garden. ...
... Flies were the second most common visitor to nipa at MBC, yet their abundance paled in comparison to the number of ants recorded. Within nipa's native range, flies are repeatedly cited as potential pollinators (Essig 1973, Mantiquilla et al. 2016, Panabang et al. 2017. Diptera were the most abundant insects (48%) in Philippines' nipa stands, followed by Coleoptera (beetles; 22%) (Panabang et al. 2017). ...
When plants are removed from their native habitat, reproduction can be compromised if pollinators are absent, especially when plant-pollinator interactions are species-specific and the plant is self-incompatible. To avoid these pitfalls, botanic gardens often use hand pollination to ensure reproductive success of their living collections, an important aspect of ex-situ conservation. The nipa palm, Nypa fruticans, presents an interesting case study of pollination in a botanic garden and a plant’s ability to successfully reproduce outside its native range without assisted pollination. Nypa fruticans has been growing at Montgomery Botanical Center (MBC) in South Florida since 1984, but for years required hand pollination to produce viable fruit. A recent shift from hand pollination to unassisted pollination suggests that this palm has found an alternative to fertilize its flowers. We investigate possible pollinators and new opportunities for pollination outside the palm’s native range. Rather than the insects typically associated with N. fruticans pollination in its native range in Southeast Asia (i.e., flies and beetles), ants, specifically Paratrechina longicornis, were overwhelmingly the most abundant visitors to nipa palm inflorescences at MBC and likely represent an important pollinator or facilitator of pollination at the garden. Pollination research at botanic gardens complements in-situ field studies and provides important insights into the flexibility of pollination systems to achieve reproductive success outside a plant’s native range.
... Jian et al. (2010) surmised that Nypa may be able to reproduce by selfing, which could also contribute to its high level of homozygosity, but evidence to prove this is unconvincing. While a brief overlap between female and male anthesis means that selfing is theoretically possible (Essig 1973), Mantequilla et al. (2016), working in the Philippines, argued that chances for selfpollination are slim. In their study, three of six bagged Nypa inflorescences produced no fruit, while three others did, but they attributed successful fruit set to loosening of the rope that was used to tie down the net bags with the inflorescences inside. ...
... Several insect visitors to N. fruticans have been recorded including Apis bees, Trigona bees, staphylinid, curculionid and nitidulid beetles (Fong 1987, Duke 1991, Hoppe 2004, Mantequilla et al. 2016 fruticans to be beetles -two nitiluids (Eupuraea species), a staphylinid (Staphilinidae), fruit flies (two species of Drosophila [Drosophilidae] and a species of Agromyzidae), a stingless bee (Tetragonula) and a regular bee (Apis cerana). A more recent study (Straarup et al. 2018) focused on the role of beetles in the pollination of N. fruticans in Thailand and compared it with previous studies conducted at different localities in southern Thailand (Hoppe 2004) and the Philippines (Mantequilla et al. 2016). ...
... Several insect visitors to N. fruticans have been recorded including Apis bees, Trigona bees, staphylinid, curculionid and nitidulid beetles (Fong 1987, Duke 1991, Hoppe 2004, Mantequilla et al. 2016 fruticans to be beetles -two nitiluids (Eupuraea species), a staphylinid (Staphilinidae), fruit flies (two species of Drosophila [Drosophilidae] and a species of Agromyzidae), a stingless bee (Tetragonula) and a regular bee (Apis cerana). A more recent study (Straarup et al. 2018) focused on the role of beetles in the pollination of N. fruticans in Thailand and compared it with previous studies conducted at different localities in southern Thailand (Hoppe 2004) and the Philippines (Mantequilla et al. 2016). Interestingly and contrary to previous studies, Straarup et al. (2018) did not observe any Drosophila fly visitors on the inflorescences but explained their absence based on the site's garden location, edge effects and the use of pesticides. ...
... Jian et al. (2010) surmised that Nypa may be able to reproduce by selfing, which could also contribute to its high level of homozygosity, but evidence to prove this is unconvincing. While a brief overlap between female and male anthesis means that selfing is theoretically possible (Essig 1973), Mantequilla et al. (2016), working in the Philippines, argued that chances for selfpollination are slim. In their study, three of six bagged Nypa inflorescences produced no fruit, while three others did, but they attributed successful fruit set to loosening of the rope that was used to tie down the net bags with the inflorescences inside. ...
... Several insect visitors to N. fruticans have been recorded including Apis bees, Trigona bees, staphylinid, curculionid and nitidulid beetles (Fong 1987, Duke 1991, Hoppe 2004, Mantequilla et al. 2016 fruticans to be beetles -two nitiluids (Eupuraea species), a staphylinid (Staphilinidae), fruit flies (two species of Drosophila [Drosophilidae] and a species of Agromyzidae), a stingless bee (Tetragonula) and a regular bee (Apis cerana). A more recent study (Straarup et al. 2018) focused on the role of beetles in the pollination of N. fruticans in Thailand and compared it with previous studies conducted at different localities in southern Thailand (Hoppe 2004) and the Philippines (Mantequilla et al. 2016). ...
... Several insect visitors to N. fruticans have been recorded including Apis bees, Trigona bees, staphylinid, curculionid and nitidulid beetles (Fong 1987, Duke 1991, Hoppe 2004, Mantequilla et al. 2016 fruticans to be beetles -two nitiluids (Eupuraea species), a staphylinid (Staphilinidae), fruit flies (two species of Drosophila [Drosophilidae] and a species of Agromyzidae), a stingless bee (Tetragonula) and a regular bee (Apis cerana). A more recent study (Straarup et al. 2018) focused on the role of beetles in the pollination of N. fruticans in Thailand and compared it with previous studies conducted at different localities in southern Thailand (Hoppe 2004) and the Philippines (Mantequilla et al. 2016). Interestingly and contrary to previous studies, Straarup et al. (2018) did not observe any Drosophila fly visitors on the inflorescences but explained their absence based on the site's garden location, edge effects and the use of pesticides. ...
... The sap beetles (Nitulidae) is another family that is often represented in palm inflorescences. Especially the genera Mystrops and Epuraea are frequently observed on palms and have sometimes been mentioned as principal pollinators (Barfod et al. 1987, Núñez et al. 2005, Kirejtshuk & Couturier 2009, Núñez et al. 2015, Mantequilla et al. 2016. Species of nitidulid beetles depend on pollen grains to obtain vital nutrients such as protein, starch, lipids and minerals (Roulston & Cane 2000). ...
... All rights reserved.' Several insect visitors to Nipa have been recorded including Apis bees, Trigona bees, staphylinid, curculionid and nitidulid beetles (Fong 1987, Duke 1991, Hoppe 2004, Mantequilla et al. 2016. However, the relative importance of different species of visiting insects is still not clear. ...
... However, the relative importance of different species of visiting insects is still not clear. Bagging experiments conducted by Mantequilla et al. (2016) in the Philippines revealed that Nipa is self-compatible to a limited degree, with a fruiting success of 50%. ...
The flowers of the mangrove palm Nypa fruticans attracts a diverse array of potential pollinators. However, little is known about the pollination mechanism and which functional groups are the key pollinators. Inflorescences of nine Nipa palms of different flowering stages were observed three times a day between sunrise and sunset in Thailand. The apparent entomofauna activity was recorded and all inflorescences were collected for extraction and identification of the beetle fauna. Beetles extracted from female inflorescences were measured for pollen load. In addition, thermogenesis was recorded over two days on two separate inflorescences. The most frequent visitors were species of nitidulid (genus Epuraea and the subfamily Cillaeinae) and curculionid beetles. Although they only carried small amounts of pollen grains, these group of beetles were omnipresent. Thermogenesis peaked around 6.30 am with temperature elevations reaching 6℃ above ambient. The result obtained in this study are compared with those of previous studies conducted elsewhere in Thailand and in the Philippinies. The combined evidence strongly suggest a pivotal role in pollination of beetle visitors to the inflorescences of Nypa fruticans.
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Nipa (Nypa fruticans Wurmb.) is an important mangrove palm species, but it is understudied due to lack of information on genetic patterns within its distribution range. In this study, we identified 18 informative microsatellite markers to assess genetic variations among local populations in the Indo-West Pacific (IWP). Results showed population stratification based on high genetic differentiation (FST = 0.22131) with the Mantel test indicating significance to isolation-by-distance. We found a pronounced differentiation between the west populations in Sri Lanka and east populations in Southeast Asia. The east populations around the South China Sea were more genetically similar than those along the Malacca Strait and Java Sea. These genetic clines were shaped by ocean circulations and seasonal monsoon reversals as plausible factors. The Malacca Strait was confirmed as both a genetic and a geographic barrier rather than a corridor according to the Monmonier plot. Simulations of directional migration indicated a statistically strong contemporary genetic connectivity from west to east where Sri Lankan immigrants were detected as far as central Philippines via long-distance dispersal. This is the first report on the recent migration patterns of nipa using microsatellites. Assignment of first-generation (F0) immigrants suggested Mainland Southeast Asia as a melting pot due to the admixture associated with excess of homozygosity. The western populations were recent expansions that emerged in rapid succession based on a phylogram as supported by footprints of genetic drift based on bottleneck tests.
