Pollinator limitation causes sexual reproductive failure in ex situ populations of self-compatible Iris ensata.

Background: The absence of pollinators may prevent sexual reproduction and affect thedistribution and persistence of individual plant populations, but the role of pollinators in shapingthe patterns of distributions of plant species or populations has not been well studied.Aims: Here, we tested the hypothesis that failure of sexual reproduction due to the absenceof pollinators may contribute to the disjunct distribution of Iris ensata.Methods: We assessed floral traits and pollinator visitation frequencies in three native andtwo ex situ populations.