Most cycads have intimate associations with their insect pollinators that parallel those of well-known flowering plants, such as sexually deceptive orchids and the male wasps and bees they deceive. Despite this, the mistaken belief that cycads are mostly wind-pollinated is still commonly expressed. Perhaps as a consequence, cycad–pollinator systems are rarely exemplified in studies of the role of pollinators in plant evolution and diversification. Although first recognised more than a century ago, specialised associations between cycads and their insect pollinators have been elucidated experimentally only in the past few decades. This review covers the history of understanding pollination in cycads, the advances that have been made since the 1980s using field observations and experiments, and analyses of molecular data from the population to phylum level. We outline areas for future research to address how such interactions might have affected speciation and extinctions. We stress that inclusion of cycads in broader considerations of the role of pollinators in plant diversification is important because they are phylogenetically distant from flowering plants and their pollination systems might have evolved independently of one another. This review is timely because cycads are a globally threatened group that might be vulnerable to co-extinction with pollinator loss.

中文翻译：

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苏铁的昆虫授粉

大多数苏铁与其昆虫传粉者有着密切的联系，这些传粉者与著名的开花植物的传粉者相似，例如性欺骗的兰花以及它们所欺骗的雄性黄蜂和蜜蜂。尽管如此，人们仍然普遍认为苏铁主要是风媒传粉的错误观念。也许因此，苏铁 - 传粉媒介系统很少在传粉媒介在植物进化和多样化中的作用研究中得到例证。尽管在一个多世纪前首次被认识到，苏铁与其昆虫传粉者之间的专门联系仅在过去几十年中才通过实验得到阐明。这篇综述涵盖了了解苏铁授粉的历史，自 1980 年代以来使用实地观察和实验取得的进展，并分析从种群到门水平的分子数据。我们概述了未来研究的领域，以解决这种相互作用可能如何影响物种形成和灭绝。我们强调，将苏铁纳入传粉媒介在植物多样化中的作用的更广泛考虑是很重要的，因为它们在系统发育上与开花植物相距甚远，而且它们的授粉系统可能已经相互独立进化。这次审查是及时的，因为苏铁是一个全球受威胁的群体，可能容易与传粉媒介的丧失共同灭绝。我们强调，将苏铁纳入传粉媒介在植物多样化中的作用的更广泛考虑是很重要的，因为它们在系统发育上与开花植物相距甚远，而且它们的授粉系统可能已经相互独立进化。这次审查是及时的，因为苏铁是一个全球受威胁的群体，可能容易与传粉媒介的丧失共同灭绝。我们强调，将苏铁纳入传粉媒介在植物多样化中的作用的更广泛考虑是很重要的，因为它们在系统发育上与开花植物相距甚远，而且它们的授粉系统可能已经相互独立进化。这次审查是及时的，因为苏铁是一个全球受威胁的群体，可能容易与传粉媒介的丧失共同灭绝。