Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, India
The wild tomato (<i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i>) is a globally distributed shrubby weed with both negative and positive impacts, including its invasive properties and the potential for pharmaceutical and traditional medicinal uses. Despite its ecological significance, the plant’s reprodu...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Ujjwal Layek Pappu Majhi Alokesh Das Prakash Karmakar Arijit Kundu |
| author_facet | Ujjwal Layek Pappu Majhi Alokesh Das Prakash Karmakar Arijit Kundu |
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| description | The wild tomato (<i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i>) is a globally distributed shrubby weed with both negative and positive impacts, including its invasive properties and the potential for pharmaceutical and traditional medicinal uses. Despite its ecological significance, the plant’s reproductive biology and pollination ecology remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the floral biology, pollination ecology, and plant reproduction of the weed species. Some flower traits, such as flowering intensity, flower display size, and pollen and ovule production, peaked during spring, summer, and the monsoon, while flower longevity and stigmatic receptivity were the longest in winter. The plant species was self-compatible (ISI = 0.02), heavily depended on pollinators (IDP = 0.72), and experienced minimal pollination limitation (D = 0.10) under open-pollination conditions. Flower visitors’ traits (e.g., abundance, diversity, and richness) were higher in the spring, summer, and the monsoon, and these were lower in winter. The vital pollination service was provided by <i>Amegilla zonata</i>, <i>Ceratina binghami</i>, <i>Lasioglossum cavernifrons</i>, <i>Nomia</i> (<i>Curvinomia</i>) <i>strigata</i>, <i>Tetragonula pagdeni</i>, <i>Xylocopa aestuans</i>, <i>Xylocopa amethystina</i>, <i>Xylocopa fenestrata</i>, and <i>Xylocopa latipes</i>. Reproductive success, as indicated by fruit and seed set, varied seasonally, being higher during the spring–monsoon period and lower in winter. These findings support effective management of this weed species and help conserve the associated bee populations. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-5dc3bbe51c0c4dceb7032bd287df8f7b2025-08-20T03:35:27ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372025-07-0114786510.3390/biology14070865Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, IndiaUjjwal Layek0Pappu Majhi1Alokesh Das2Prakash Karmakar3Arijit Kundu4Department of Botany, Rampurhat College, Rampurhat 731224, West Bengal, IndiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan 731236, West Bengal, IndiaDepartment of Botany, Rampurhat College, Rampurhat 731224, West Bengal, IndiaDepartment of Botany & Forestry, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721102, West Bengal, IndiaDepartment of Botany & Forestry, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721102, West Bengal, IndiaThe wild tomato (<i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i>) is a globally distributed shrubby weed with both negative and positive impacts, including its invasive properties and the potential for pharmaceutical and traditional medicinal uses. Despite its ecological significance, the plant’s reproductive biology and pollination ecology remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the floral biology, pollination ecology, and plant reproduction of the weed species. Some flower traits, such as flowering intensity, flower display size, and pollen and ovule production, peaked during spring, summer, and the monsoon, while flower longevity and stigmatic receptivity were the longest in winter. The plant species was self-compatible (ISI = 0.02), heavily depended on pollinators (IDP = 0.72), and experienced minimal pollination limitation (D = 0.10) under open-pollination conditions. Flower visitors’ traits (e.g., abundance, diversity, and richness) were higher in the spring, summer, and the monsoon, and these were lower in winter. The vital pollination service was provided by <i>Amegilla zonata</i>, <i>Ceratina binghami</i>, <i>Lasioglossum cavernifrons</i>, <i>Nomia</i> (<i>Curvinomia</i>) <i>strigata</i>, <i>Tetragonula pagdeni</i>, <i>Xylocopa aestuans</i>, <i>Xylocopa amethystina</i>, <i>Xylocopa fenestrata</i>, and <i>Xylocopa latipes</i>. Reproductive success, as indicated by fruit and seed set, varied seasonally, being higher during the spring–monsoon period and lower in winter. These findings support effective management of this weed species and help conserve the associated bee populations.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/7/865buzz pollinationflower display sizeflowering intensityflowering phenologypollinationpollination service index |
| spellingShingle | Ujjwal Layek Pappu Majhi Alokesh Das Prakash Karmakar Arijit Kundu Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, India Biology buzz pollination flower display size flowering intensity flowering phenology pollination pollination service index |
| title | Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, India |
| title_full | Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, India |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, India |
| title_short | Seasonal Variation in Flower Traits, Visitor Traits, and Reproductive Success of <i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Lamarck (Solanaceae) in the Rarh Region of West Bengal, India |
| title_sort | seasonal variation in flower traits visitor traits and reproductive success of i solanum sisymbriifolium i lamarck solanaceae in the rarh region of west bengal india |
| topic | buzz pollination flower display size flowering intensity flowering phenology pollination pollination service index |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/7/865 |
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