Pollination biology and reproductive ecology of Scaevola taccada (Goodeniaceae) on Mo'orea, French Polynesia

Plants often depend on other organisms to pollinate their flowers in order to successfully reproduce. On an island, plants face multiple challenges to establish and persist, especially if the plant depends solely on a specific pollinator not present on the island. A pollination and reproduction study was conducted on Scaevola taccada, a widespread coastal shrub, on the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia. The pollinator community of S. taccada was composed of eight insect species, with the recently introduced honeybee, Apis mellifera, being the most frequent floral visitor. Both site and wind speed were found to have significant effects on visitation rate. A high percentage of successful seed set from pollinator-exclusion studies suggested S. taccada may be able to successfully self-pollinate. The length of flowering times was found to be significantly associated with successful seed set, with flowering times serving as an indicator for successful pollination events. With the ability to outcross and to self-reproduce, S. taccada has adapted to persist on a changing island environment