Location
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (virtual)
Date
9-4-2021 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) poses a dire threat to the health of forests throughout the eastern United States. While self-pollination has been identified as an important trait of invasive plant species, this trait is understudied, and Amur honeysuckle is anecdotally described as lacking this characteristic. To examine the ability of Amur honeysuckle to self-pollinate, we selected 171 individual shrubs distributed across 9 sites. We compared the number of berries, seeds per berry, and seed germination rates of self- and cross-pollinated flowers by pairing branches covered with pollination bags prior to flower emergence with uncovered branches on the same individual shrub. Out of 171 individuals, 48 produced self-pollinated berries within pollination bags (28%), with 48% of bagged branches exhibiting necrosis due to increased temperature and humidity. Self-pollinated berries produced 1.5 ± 1.4 ( mean ± 1 SD) seeds per berry, whereas cross-pollinated berries produced 3.3 ± 1.5 seeds per berry. In a germination trial, 47.3% of self-pollinated seeds have germinated compared to 41.7% of crosspollinated seeds. This study has shown that Amur honeysuckle can self-pollinate and set viable seed, providing the species with an important mechanism to increase population abundance during early stages of invasion.
The Self-Pollination of Amur Honeysuckle
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (virtual)
Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) poses a dire threat to the health of forests throughout the eastern United States. While self-pollination has been identified as an important trait of invasive plant species, this trait is understudied, and Amur honeysuckle is anecdotally described as lacking this characteristic. To examine the ability of Amur honeysuckle to self-pollinate, we selected 171 individual shrubs distributed across 9 sites. We compared the number of berries, seeds per berry, and seed germination rates of self- and cross-pollinated flowers by pairing branches covered with pollination bags prior to flower emergence with uncovered branches on the same individual shrub. Out of 171 individuals, 48 produced self-pollinated berries within pollination bags (28%), with 48% of bagged branches exhibiting necrosis due to increased temperature and humidity. Self-pollinated berries produced 1.5 ± 1.4 ( mean ± 1 SD) seeds per berry, whereas cross-pollinated berries produced 3.3 ± 1.5 seeds per berry. In a germination trial, 47.3% of self-pollinated seeds have germinated compared to 41.7% of crosspollinated seeds. This study has shown that Amur honeysuckle can self-pollinate and set viable seed, providing the species with an important mechanism to increase population abundance during early stages of invasion.
Comments
2021 FNR Poster Competition, Graduate Research - Honorable Mention