Pollination and breeding systems of woody plant species in tropical dry evergreen forests, southern India

Tropical dry evergreen forests (TDEF) are a unique forest type found along the east coast of India. They mostly occur as small, isolated fragments of varying sizes (0.5 to approximate to 10 ha) and are considered as endangered forests types in peninsular India. Although plant diversity is well documented in these forests, there is a paucity of ecological studies vital for conservation and for planning restoration activities. We studied reproductive biology of 13 woody species: four trees, six shrubs, and three lianas in fragments of TDEF in southern India. The phenology of reproduction, floral biology, anthesis and sexual system of each species were recorded. The pollination mode was assessed through observations of the visitation frequency of pollinators and from the floral characters. The breeding system was determined by hand-augmented self- and cross-pollination experiments. The plants flowered during the dry season from January to July. Plants of nine species had both flowers and fruits at the same time. Twelve species were hermaphrodites and one was polygamo-dioecious. Flowers of 11 species opened at dawn and two at dusk. Four species were self-incompatible and six were self-compatible. Natural fruit set ranged from 10% to 56%, self-incompatible species having low fruit set. Cross-pollen augmentation increased fruit set, suggesting presence of outcrossing in all species. The majority of plants species (85%) had a generalized pollination system, receiving visits from diverse insects, such as social bees, solitary bees, wasps, moths and flies. However, only few of them were functionally important for the species. Two species namely: Capparis brevispina and C. zeylanica had butterflies and birds, respectively, as their main pollinators. Our data reveal that there is a predominance of outcrossing in plant species and a generalized pollination system in these forests. We suggest that restoration of TDEFs is crucial as habitats, not only for wild plants but also for pollinating insects. (C) 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.