03239nas a2200301 4500008004100000245008800041210006900129300001000198490000800208520239700216653001702613653001302630653001202643653001802655653002102673653002302694653001202717653001602729653002102745653002702766653001402793653001702807653001502824653001402839100001802853700001702871856004902888 2016 eng d00aThe long-tongued hawkmoth pollinator niche for native and invasive plants in Africa0 alongtongued hawkmoth pollinator niche for native and invasive pl a25-360 v1173 a

"Background and Aims Unrelated organisms that share similar niches often exhibit patterns of convergent evolution
in functional traits. Based on bimodal distributions of hawkmoth tongue lengths and tubular white flowers in
Africa, this study hypothesized that long-tongued hawkmoths comprise a pollination niche (ecological opportunity)
that is distinct from that of shorter-tongued hawkmoths.
Methods Field observations, light trapping, camera surveillance and pollen load analysis were used to identify
pollinators of plant species with very long-tubed (>8 cm) flowers. The nectar properties and spectral reflectance of
these flowers were also measured. The frequency distributions of proboscis length for all captured hawkmoths and
floral tube length for a representative sample of night-blooming plant species were determined. The geographical
distributions of both native and introduced plant species with very long floral tubes were mapped.
Key Results The convolvulus hawkmoth Agrius convolvuli is identified as the most important pollinator of
African plants with very long-tubed flowers. Plants pollinated by this hawkmoth species tend to have a very long
(approx. 10 cm) and narrow flower tube or spur, white flowers and large volumes of dilute nectar. It is estimated
that >70 grassland and savanna plant species in Africa belong to the Agrius pollination guild. In South Africa, at
least 23 native species have very long floral tubes, and pollination by A. convolvuli or, rarely, by the closely related
hawkmoth Coelonia fulvinotata, has been confirmed for 11 of these species. The guild is strikingly absent from the
species-rich Cape floral region and now includes at least four non-native invasive species with long-tubed flowers
that are pre-adapted for pollination by A. convolvuli.
Conclusions This study highlights the value of a niche perspective on pollination, which provides a framework
for making predictions about the ecological importance of keystone pollinators, and for understanding patterns of
convergent evolution and the role of floral traits in plant colonization."

10aBIOGEOGRAPHY10aCOELONIA10aECOLOGY10aFLOWER COLOUR10aINVASIVE SPECIES10aNECTAR COMPOSITION10aNEPHELE10aPOLLINATION10aPOLLINATOR SHIFT10aPOLLINATOR SPECIFICITY10aPROBOSCIS10aSOUTH AFRICA10aSPHINGIDAE10aWORLDMAP11 aJohnson, S.D.1 aRaguso, R.A. uhttps://sphingidae.myspecies.info/node/21089