Evolution of a non‐flying mammal‐dependent pollination system in Asian Mucuna (Fabaceae)

Abstract

AbstractPollinator shifts are often related to speciation in angiosperms, and the relationship between them has been discussed in several plant taxa. Although limited information on plants pollinated by non‐flying mammals in Central and South America and Africa is available, related research has not been conducted in Asia. Herein, I summarize the available knowledge of pollination in Asian Mucuna (Fabaceae), a genus mainly distributed in the tropics, and discuss the evolution of plants pollinated by non‐flying mammals in Asia. Nineteen pollinator species have been recorded and pollination systems have been categorized into four types. An examination of the relationship between Mucuna species and their pollinators from the lineage perspective revealed that all species in Mucuna, subgenus Macrocarpa, which are distributed in Asia, are pollinated exclusively by non‐flying mammals. Additionally, plants pollinated by non‐flying mammals were found to have diverged from bat‐pollinated and non‐flying mammal‐pollinated plants, while plants pollinated by non‐flying mammals have evolved multiple times. This is a unique example of evolutionary transition. I hypothesize that the diversification of squirrel species in tropical Asia may have led to the speciation and diversification of Mucuna in Asia. Furthermore, the behavioural and ecological characteristics of bats and birds in Asia differ from the characteristics of those in other regions, implying that Asian Mucuna species do not rely on bat or bird pollinators. The adaptation of floral characteristics to pollinators is not well understood in Asia. Mammal‐pollinated plants in Asia may have evolved differently from those in other regions and have unique pollination systems.