Effects of road dust on the pollination and reproduction of wildflowers

Abstract

Premise of research. Dust particles and pollen grains are similar in size. Dust deposition might therefore influence the pollination and reproduction of flowering plants. Little is known about such effects, however, despite more general interest in ecological effects of dust.Methodology. We used observational and experimental methods to explore whether dust generated by traffic on unpaved roads affects the amounts of pollen received and numbers of seeds produced by four species of native wildflowers in the western United States.Pivotal results. Flowers of Nuttall’s larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum), scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), Lewis flax (Linum lewisii), and sulphur paintbrush (Castilleja sulphurea) growing 1–2 m from a road received substantially more dust and less pollen than those growing 40–50 m away. We observed the same pattern when we transplanted individuals of the first two species into pots and placed pots near to compared with far from a road. Experimental “hand dusting” of scarlet gilia and Lewis flax plants also reduced stigma pollen loads to a degree that resembled the average effect of road proximity for those species. On the other hand, numbers of seeds per flower (“seed set”) did not vary consistently for any species as a function of road proximity or hand-dusting treatment.Conclusions. Several mechanisms might contribute to the different effects of dust on pollen loads and seed set. We discuss four possible mechanisms, which we refer to as pollen excess, pollen quality, resource limitation, and compensatory herbivory. These mechanisms suggest avenues for further study of dust, pollination, and plant reproduction with this and other systems.

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