Population-level plant pollination mode is influenced by Quaternary climate and pollinators

Patterns in ecology are the products of current factors interacting with history. Nevertheless, few studies have attempted to disentangle the contribution of historical and current factors, such as climate change and pollinator identity and behaviour, on plant reproduction. Here, we attempted to separate the relative importance of current and historical processes on geographical patterns of the mating system of the tree species Curatella americana (Dilleniaceae). Specifically, we asked: 1) How do Quaternary and current climate affect plant mating system? 2) How does current pollinator abundance and diversity relate to plant mating system? 3) How does mating system relate to fruit/seed quantity and quality in Curatella americana? We recorded pollinators (richness, frequency and body size) and performed pollination tests in ten populations of C. americana spread over 3,000 km in the Brazilian savannah. The frequency of self-pollination in the absence of pollinators was strongly influenced...