AN EVALUATION OF SYLVIIDAE SPECIES IN THE TRANSPORT OF POLLEN: A CASE STUDY OF İSTANBUL

Year 2023, Volume: 24 Issue: 2, 49 - 55, 15.10.2023

Nurgül Karlıoğlu Kılıç , Ergün Bacak , Rüya Yılmaz Dağdeviren , Arif Cemal Özsemir , Elif Ayşe Yıldırım , Umut Güngör Vedat Beşkardeş

https://doi.org/10.23902/trkjnat.1324756

Abstract

During pollination, pollen grains can be transported to distant distances by various factors such as wind, insects, birds, and reptiles. While there have been numerous studies on pollen transportation by birds in Europe, there is a lack of research concerning the pollen grains transported by bird species in Turkey. In this context, we explored the role of Sylviidae species in pollination and identified the plant species whose pollen is transported by these birds. The temporary ringing station located at İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Avcılar Campus was selected as the study area and a total of 35 feather samples were collected from individuals of Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus), S. borin (Boddaert), Curruca communis (Latham), C. cantillans (Pallas), C. curruca (Linnaeus) and C. melanocephala (Gmelin) captured at station. Based on the analysis of pollen found on the feather samples, it was determined that the pollen found in 18 feather samples of Curruca curruca and Sylvia atricapilla provided pollen belonging to Pinus (Pine), Aesculus (Horse chestnut), Prunus (Plum), Spiraea (Spiraea), Quercus (Oak), Fraxinus (Ash) and Melia (Bead tree). The most commonly determined pollen on C. curruca were of Prunus (63.5%), while the least common were of Aesculus (0.9%). The most commonly determined pollen on S. atricapilla were of Melia (48.1%), while the least common were of Crocus (0.2%). The presence of pollen among the food sources of Sylviidae species during spring, the synchronization between the arrival time of birds in the study area during migration and the pollination period of the determined plant taxa, and the prevalence of these taxa in the study area suggest that S. atricapilla and C. curruca may be contributing to pollination.

Keywords

Pollen, Avian pollination, Curruca curruca, Sylvia atricapilla

Project Number

-

References

• 1. Akşehirli, İ. 2005. A landscape analysis of Küçükçekmece lake and its surroundings for ecological planning. Master’s thesis, Institute of Science, İstanbul University, 247 pp.
• 2. Aytuğ, B. 1965. Polen Moroflojisi ve Türkiye'nin Önemli Gymnosperm'leri Üzerinde Palinolojik Araştırmalar. Journal of the Faculty of Forestry İstanbul University, 15(3): 58-96.
• 3. Aytuğ, B., Aykut, S., Merev, S. & Edis, G. 1971. İstanbul Çevresi Bitkilerinin Polen Atlasi, İstanbul Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Yayınları, İstanbul, 174 pp.
• 4. Beug, H.J. 2004. Leitfaden der Pollenbestimmungfür Mitteleuropa und Angrenzende Gebiete. Dr Friedrich Pfeil, München, 542 pp.
• 5. Burquez, A. 1989. Blue tits (Parus caeruleus) as pollinators of the crown imperial (Fritillaria imperialis) in Britain, Oikos 55: 335-340.
• 6. Campbell, N.A. & Reece, J.B. 2002. Biology, Benjamin Cummings – Pearson Education, VI. Edition, 1247 pp.
• 7. Cecere, J.G. Spina F., Jenni-Eirmann, S. & Boitani, L. 2011. Nectar: an energy drink used by European songbirds during spring migration, Journal of Ornithology, 152: 923-931. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0675-4
• 8. Cronk, Q. & Ojeda, I. 2008. Bird-pollinated flowers in an evolutionary and molecular context, Journal of Experimental Botany, 59(4): 715-727.
• 9. Da Silva, L.P., Ramos, J.A., Olesen, J.M., Coutinho, A.P, Tenreiro, P.Q. & Heleno, R.H. 2016. Flower visitation by European birds offers the first evidence of interaction release in continents. Journal of Biogeography, 44(3): 687-695, https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12915
• 10. Da Silva, L.P., Ramos, J.A., Olesen, J.M., Traveset, A. & Heleno, R.H. 2014. Flower visitation by birds in Europe, Oikos, 123(11): 1377-1383.
• 11. Erdtman, G. 1952. Pollen morphology and plant taxonomy, The Choronica Botanic Company, Waltham, Mass, USA, 539 pp.
• 12. Faegri, K. & Iversen, J. 1964. Textbook of Pollen Analysis, II Edition. Denmark: Munksgaard, Copenhagen, 237 pp.
• 13. Faegri, K. & Van Der Pijl, L. 1971. The principles of pollination ecology. Pergamon press, Oxford, XII+291 pp.
• 14. Ford, H.A. 1985. Nectarivory and polination by birds in southern Australia and Europe. Oikos 44: 127-131.
• 15. Grimm, E. 2019. TILIA Software Programme Version 3.0.1.
• 16. Inouye, D.W. 2007. Pollinators, Role of, Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 140-146.
• 17. Jordano, P. 1988. Diet, fruit choice and variation in body condition of frugivorous warblers in Mediterranean scrubland. Ardea, 76: 193-209.
• 18. Kevan, P.G. 1975. Pollination and Environmental Conservation. Environmental Conservation, 2(4): 293-298.
• 19. Moore, P. & Webb, J.A. 1978. An Illustrated Guide to Pollen Analysis, Hodder and Stoughton Educational Division, 192 pp.
• 20. Moore, P., Webb, J.A. & Collinson, M.E. 1991. Pollen Analysis, 2nd Edition, Blackwell, Oxford, 216 pp.
• 21. Nicolson, S. & Fleming, P. 2003. Nectar as food for birds: the physiological consequences of drinking dilute sugar solutions. Plant Systematics and Evolution. 238. 139-153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-003-0276-7
• 22. Ortega-Olivencia, A., Rodriguez-Riaño, T., Valtueña, F.J., Lopez, J. & Devesa, J.A. 2005. First confirmation of a native bird-pollinated plant in Europe, Oikos, 110: 578-590.
• 23. Öztürk, M.Z., Çetinkaya, G. & Aydın, S. 2017. Köppen-Geiger İklim Sınıflandırmasına Göre Türkiye’nin İklim Tipleri. Coğrafya Dergisi, (35): 17-27. https://doi.org/10.26650/JGEOG295515
• 24. Parker, S.A. 1977. Bird as Pollinators. https://www.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/download/1360/1885 (data accessed: 15.10.2022).
• 25. Pellmyr, O. 2002. Pollination by animals, pp. 157-184. In: Herrera, C. M. and Pellmyr, O. (eds), Plant/animal interactions. An evolutionary approach. Blackwell Science, 332 pp.
• 26. Proctor, M. & Yeo, P. 1979. The Pollination of Flowers. Collins, London, 418 pp.
• 27. Proctor, M., Yeo, P. & Lack, A. 1973. The Natural History of Pollination. Harper Collins, London, 220 pp.
• 28. Schaefer, H.M., Valido, A. & Jordano, P. 2014. Birds see the true colours of fruits to live off the fat of the land. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 281: 20132516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2516
• 29. Schwilch R., Mantovani R., Spina F. & Jenni L. 2001. Nectar consumption of warblers after long-distance flights during spring migration. Ibis, 143: 24-32.
• 30. Sekercioglu, C.H. 2006. Increasing awareness of avian ecological function. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 21: 464-471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2006.05.007
• 31. Stiles, F.G. 1981. Geographical aspects of birdflower coevolution with particular reference to Central America. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 68: 323-352.
• 32. Wodehouse, R.P. 1935. Pollen Grains, Hafner Publishing Company, New York: 574 pp.