Pollinator foraging tactics have divergent consequences for the mating system of a tropical plant

Resolving the consequences of pollinator foraging behaviour for plant
mating systems is a fundamental challenge in evolutionary ecology.
Pollinators may adopt particular foraging tactics: complete trapline
foraging (repeated movements along a fixed route), sample-and-shift
trapline foraging (a variable route that incorporates information from
previous experiences), and territorial foraging (stochastic movements
within a restricted area). Studies that integrate these pollinator
foraging tactics with plant mating systems are generally lacking. We
investigate the consequences of particular pollinator foraging tactics for
Heliconia tortuosa. We combine parentage and sibship inference analysis
with simulation modeling to: (1) estimate mating system parameters; (2)
infer the foraging tactic adopted by the pollinators; and (3) quantify the
impact of pollinator foraging tactics on mating system parameters. We
found high outcrossing rates, ubiquitous multiple paternity, and a
pronounced departure from near-neighbour mating. We also found that plants
repeatedly receive pollen from a series of particular donors. We infer
that the pollinators primarily adopt complete trapline foraging and
occasionally engage in sample-and-shift trapline foraging. This enhances
multiple paternity without a substantial increase in near-neighbour
mating. The particular pollinator foraging tactics have divergent
consequences for multiple paternity and near-neighbour mating. Thus,
pollinator foraging behaviour is an important driver of the ecology and
evolution of plant mating systems.