Data from: Primary pollinator exclusion has divergent consequences for pollen dispersal and mating in different populations of a bird-pollinated tree

Pollination by nectarivorous birds is predicted to result in different
patterns of pollen dispersal and plant mating compared to pollination by
insects. We tested the prediction that paternal diversity, outcrossing
rate and realised pollen dispersal will be reduced when the primary
pollinator group is excluded from bird-pollinated plants. Pollinator
exclusion experiments in conjunction with paternity analysis of progeny
were applied to Eucalyptus caesia Benth. (Myrtaceae), a predominantly
honeyeater-pollinated tree that is visited by native insects and
introduced honeybees. Microsatellite genotyping at 14 loci of all adult E.
caesia at two populations (n = 580 and 315) followed by paternity
analysis of 705 progeny revealed contrasting results between populations.
At the Chiddarcooping site, the exclusion of honeyeaters led to lower
outcrossing rates, a threefold reduction in the average number sires per
fruit, a decrease in intermediate-distance mating, and an increase in
near-neighbour mating. These findings suggest that bird pollination
increases plant paternal diversity, potentially leading to higher fitness
of progeny and favouring the evolution of this strategy. In contrast,
honeyeater exclusion did not significantly impact pollen dispersal or
plant mating at Mount Caroline, suggesting that insects may be effective
pollinators in some populations of bird-adapted plants, but ineffective in
others.