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| Paleoecological reconstruction of insect pollination of gymnosperms and angiosperms during the Cretaceous. in Peña-Kairath, Delclòs, Álvarez-Parra, ... et Peris, 2023. Art by J.A. Peñas. |
Highlights:
• The pollinating role of insects preceded the evolution of flowers.
• Insects pollinated gymnosperms before the appearance of angiosperms.
• The oldest record of pollinating insects is from the Upper Jurassic (~163 Ma), demonstrating the antiquity of animal pollination.
• We present a protocol for the definition and classification of pollinators and presumed pollinators in the fossil record of insects.
• Detailed study of bioinclusions in amber and fossil compressions can provide invaluable data for understanding insect-plants interactions in deep time.
Abstract
Inferring insect pollination from compression fossils and amber inclusions is difficult because of a lack of consensus on defining an insect pollinator and the challenge of recognizing this ecological relationship in deep time. We propose a conceptual definition for such insects and an operational classification into pollinator or presumed pollinator. Using this approach, we identified 15 insect families that include fossil pollinators and show that pollination relationships have existed since at least the Upper Jurassic (~163 Ma). Insects prior to this can only be classified as presumed pollinators. This gives a more nuanced insight into the origin and evolution of an ecological relationship that is vital to the establishment, composition and conservation of modern terrestrial ecosystems.
Keywords: pollination, fossil pollinator, gymnosperms, angiosperms, paleobiology, insect–plant interactions
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| Paleoecological reconstruction of insect pollination of gymnosperms and angiosperms during the Cretaceous. To the left of the resiniferous trunk is represented the Albian (Lower Cretaceous), with a ginkgolean with Melanthripidae thrips, a cycad host with Oedemeridae beetles, and a bennettitalean with Zhangsolvidae fly, based on Spanish amber fossil records. At the right of the trunk is represented the Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous), with water lilies with Kateretidae beetles at the bottom, a cycad host with Kateretidae beetles, and a eudicot angiosperm with Mordellidae beetles at the front, based on Myanmar amber fossil records. Art by J.A. Peñas. |
Constanza Peña-Kairath, Xavier Delclòs, Sergio Álvarez-Parra, Enrique Peñalver, Michael S. Engel, Jeff Ollerton and David Peris. 2023. Insect Pollination in Deep Time. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. In Press. DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.03.008
https://jeffollerton.co.uk/2023/04/17/insect-pollination-in-deep-time-a-new-review-just-published
