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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 57(1)

An experimental study of the pollination biology of the perennial halophyte Frankenia pauciflora var. gunnii (Frankeniaceae) in a South Australian salt marsh

Duncan A. Mackay A B and Molly A. Whalen A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: duncan.mackay@flinders.edu.au

Australian Journal of Botany 57(1) 31-36 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT08153
Submitted: 15 August 2008  Accepted: 2 December 2008   Published: 23 March 2009

Abstract

Relatively little is known about the pollination biology or breeding systems of entomophilous plant species in salt-marsh habitats. In the present study, the pollination biology of the perennial halophyte Frankenia pauciflora DC. var. gunnii Summerh. (Frankeniaceae) was investigated in a salt marsh near Goolwa, South Australia. The flowering peak of this species occurs in summer and flowers are visited by a diverse array of insects in the Diptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. An experiment was performed to test for the presence of pollen limitation in the field. Flowers to which outcross pollen was added produced significantly more fruits and significantly more seeds per fruit than did unmanipulated control flowers. Average seed weight per fruit did not differ significantly between control and pollen-addition flowers. In glasshouse experiments, flowers to which cross-pollen was added produced significantly more fruit than did flowers to which self-pollen was added, suggesting the presence of a facultatively xenogamous breeding system.


Acknowledgements

We thank Mr Peter Daenke and Ms Sandra Marshall for technical assistance in the field and glasshouse, Ms Lynette Queale (SA Museum) for assistance with identification of flies and the Goolwa Barrage Authority for permission to work in the Goolwa salt marsh. This project was supported by funds from Flinders University.


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