Patterns in floral traits and plant breeding systems on Southern Ocean Islands

• Published in: AoB Plants
• Main Author: Lord, Janice M.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2015
• Subjects: Research Articles; Southern Ocean; Ocean Island
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4583772/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26286223; https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plv095

Little is known about floral biology in the Southern Ocean region 45° - 55°S, despite the World Heritage status of some areas. Typical pollinators are rare on these cold, remote islands, yet some plants have showy flowers, suggesting insect pollination, or separate sexed flowers requiring cross-pollination. This study analyses data for 321 species on 11 Southern Ocean island groups. Separate sexed flowers are common compared with other high latitude islands, but a reliance on biotic pollination may limit species distributions. Given the vulnerability and uniqueness of these floras, a greater effort needs to be made to understand their reproductive ecology.