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Review of the Pollination System by Small Diverse Insects

  • Insect Pollinators
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Abstract

Many studies have evaluated and categorized the pollination systems of plants in different regions. These studies resulted in the definition of new pollination systems, such as that by small diverse insects (SDI). Although SDI systems are frequent in tropical communities, we know little about the species of plants and pollinators that compose these systems. This study synthesized knowledge of SDI systems through a systematic review of the literature, in order to characterize the composition of plants and pollinator species related to this pollination system. Most studies of SDI systems were carried out in tropical rainforest communities, and used a variety of terminologies and concepts. We found 362 plant species assigned to the SDI system, distributed in 76 families and 35 orders. These species are mainly trees and have inconspicuous greenish flowers, and most are hermaphroditic or dioecious. Few studies provided information on the composition of pollinators, which encompassed small and large insects; beetles, wasp, flies, and bees were the most frequent groups. We suggest adoption of the term “pollination system by diverse insects” instead of “small diverse insects.” We discuss conceptual aspects and questions for studies with this pollination system.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for awarding a PhD scholarship to MMM. We also thank the National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) and the Foundation for Support of Research in the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) for PQ and CNE scholarships to LF and for funding the project (PVE-CNPQ 400789/2014-0), and Igor Musauer Kessous and Alessandra Ribeiro Pinto for helping to draw the tree in Mesquite.

Author Contribution Statement

Both authors contributed to the study conception and design. MMM performed the literature search and data analysis. Both authors drafted and critically revised the work. Both authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Univ Federal do Espírito Santo, Alegre, ES, Brazil

    M. M. Moreira

  2. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    M. M. Moreira & L. Freitas

Authors
  1. M. M. Moreira
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  2. L. Freitas
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Correspondence to M. M. Moreira.

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Edited by Carmen S S Pires – Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia

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Electronic Supplementary Material

Table S1

List of 282 articles obtained through this systematic review, including: author names, article title, publication year, journal name, indication that the study was used in the review (yes = we selected the study, no = we did not select the study), and the type of search (Search 1 = key-words; Search 2 = cited Bawa et al 1985a). (XLSX 44 kb)

Table S2

List of 47 articles that satisfied the selection criteria adopted in this review. (XLSX 18 kb)

Table S3

List of 362 species of plants classified in the SDI pollination system and list of the five studies that evaluated the floral visitors. (XLSX 57 kb)

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Moreira, M.M., Freitas, L. Review of the Pollination System by Small Diverse Insects. Neotrop Entomol 49, 472–481 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-020-00779-6

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