Bonte, D.

Brys, R.

Ghyselen, C.

Open Marine Archive

Reduced seed set by root herbivory in a coastal dune plant: are 
pollinators involved? 
Ghyselen Céline1, Rein Brys2 and Dries Bonte1 
1 Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Biology Department, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 
Ghent, Belgium  
E-mail: Celine.Ghyselen@UGent.be  
2 Division of Plant Ecology and Systematics, Biology Department, University of Leuven, Belgium  
 
Herbivory is often one of the most important environmental factors affecting plant fitness. Because 
herbivores deplete resource reserves in plants, there may be fewer resources left to invest in 
reproductive output and/or in pollinator attractive features.  
 
Our study system involves Cynoglossum officinale, a monocarpic perennial dune plant which is 
often subject to root herbivory by the specialist beetle Mogulones cruciger. The larvae of this beetle 
develop in the roots and feed on root tissue. This larval infestation was found to have a negative 
effect on the seed set of C. officinale. However, it is not clear whether there is only a direct cause to 
this negative effect: through a lower resource allocation to seed production, or whether there is also 
an indirect cause: through reduced pollination success due to lower resource allocation to pollinator 
attraction. In this experiment we investigated whether pollinator attractiveness of C. officinale 
plants is affected by this root herbivory and whether this may have an impact on the reproductive 
output.  
 
After subjecting study plants to different herbivore pressures in the lab, we measured several plant 
traits. At the VLIZ research station in Wenduine we observed natural pollinator visitation and 
assessed pollen limitation through supplemental hand pollinations. Plants were harvested after 
flowering and then seed set and root damage were quantified.  
 
In this experiment root herbivory also turned out to have a negative impact on seed set. Moreover, 
we found that pollinator visitation rate decreased and pollen limitation increased with increasing 
root damage. Consequently, the results of this experiment indicate that pollination is involved in 
the reduced seed set caused by root herbivory. 
 
 
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Reduced seed set by root herbivory in a coastal dune plant: are pollinators involved?

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