REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF TROPICAL LOWLAND RAIN FOREST TREES. II. POLLINATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

The reproductive biology of tree species of a tropical rain forest was investigated to determine the relative frequency and spatial distribution of different types of pollination mechanisms. Species pollinated by medium‐sized to large bees were most frequent, followed by those pollinated by moths, small diverse insects and small bees, in that order. Almost one half the total species were found to have pollinators with wide foraging ranges. Species pollinated by various groups of pollinators were distributed non‐randomly. The greatest diversity of pollination systems was found in the subcanopy. As compared to the subcanopy, pollination mechanisms in the canopy were monotonous, consisting primarily of species pollinated by bees and small diverse insects. The hummingbird‐ and sphingid moth‐pollinated species were found mainly in the subcanopy. The factors underlying the non‐random distribution of pollinators are discussed and the potential implications of such distribution on the forest structure are explored.