The research of two Crimean cenopopulations located in the Karabel-Dag tract (mountainous Crimea) and on Mount Chakatysh (Southern coast of Crimea) revealed the peculiarities of the antecology of the male orchid Orchis mascula L. The comparison of morphometric parameters of inflorescences and flowers of the studied cenopopopulations specified a number of reliable differences in both qualitative and quantitative parameters. In particular, inflorescences in the Karabel-Dag tract contained fewer flowers with a denser arrangement of flowers in inflorescences, and the flowers exhibited larger sizes of the flower gape and shorter spurs. Fifty-seven specimens of bees of 13 species were captured on orchid flowers, including 9 individuals from 8 species recognized as hemipollinators of the orchid: Andrena nitida Müller ⃰, Osmia bicornis L., Anthophora plumipes Pallas ⃰, Bombus haematurus Kriechbaumer ⃰, Bombus hortorum L., Bombus pascuorum Scopoli, Bombus terrestris L. ⃰, Xylocopa valga Gerstäcker ⃰. Additionally, five other bee species were caught on the orchid flowers without hemipollinators: Andrena flavipes Panzer ⃰, Andrena lathyri Alfken ⃰, Eucera cf. nigra Lep ⃰., Eucera nigrescens Perez. ⃰ u Apis mellifera L. The morphological correspondence of bees of the latest 5 species to orchid flowers qualifies them as legitimate pollinators of O. mascula in Crimea. The species marked with an asterisk were recorded as pollinators of O. mascula for the first time. Furthermore, 14 additional bee species that were active during the flowering period of O. mascula in their habitats were recognized as potential pollinators based on the morphological compatibility of their head structures with the orchid flowers. Over three seasons of observation two studied Crimean cenopopulations of O. mascula demonstarted a stable and relatively high level of flower pollination – from 26 % to 53 %. The pollination level of O. mascula varied significantly across different seasons while exhibiting less variation between cenopopulations within a single year. Pollinators were attracted to O. mascula flowers by the brightness of inflorescences and by imitation of nectar-bearing plant species that bloomed concurrently with O. mascula. The obtained data suggest the existence of two ecological forms of O. mascula in Crimea: mountain-forest and south coastal.
Orchis mascula, Orchidaceae, species composition of pollinators, morphological compatibility of flowers and pollinators, pollination level, pollinator attraction system, Crimean Peninsula.
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