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Pollen viability and longevity: practical, ecological and evolutionary implications

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Pollen and Pollination

Abstract

The present article reviews the various definitions and terminology of pollen viability and longevity as well as the various tests of its assessment. We compare the advantages and the disadvantages of each method and suggest some practical implications as revealed by the extensive data. We recognize eight main hypotheses concerning the ecology and the evolution of pollen longevity and critically evaluated them according to the literature. The hypotheses are grouped as follows: (1) Desiccation risk-carbohydrate content; (2) Pollen packaging; (3) Pollen competitive ability; (4) Pollinator activity-stigma receptivity duration; (5) Self-pollination chance; (6) Pollen exposure schedule; (7) Pollen travel distance, and (8) Pollen removal chance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Pollination Ecology, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, 31905, Israel

    Amots Dafni

  2. Department of Biology, Colby College, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA

    David Firmage

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  1. Amots Dafni
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Pollination Ecology, Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

    Amots Dafni

  2. Institut für Botanik und Botanischer Garten, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria

    Michael Hesse

  3. Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy

    Ettore Pacini

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Dafni, A., Firmage, D. (2000). Pollen viability and longevity: practical, ecological and evolutionary implications. In: Dafni, A., Hesse, M., Pacini, E. (eds) Pollen and Pollination. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6306-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6306-1_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-7091-7248-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-6306-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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