By Isabella Lin, Ryan Gabelman, Hillary Poalacin, Luke Sparreo

Apr 28 2026

Tlachichinole (Moussonia deppeana) is a shrub with a unique life cycle, beginning its life producing pollen with male flower parts and transitioning into producing female flower parts to receive pollen later in a process called protandry. As M. deppeana produces pollen and is fertilized at different times, it is unable to pollinate itself, leaving it dependent on animals to aid in pollination. The flowers of M. deppeana, which are tubular and red (exhibited in the herbarium specimen), attract hummingbirds that travel between plants as they consume the nectar from male flowers. From there, hummingbirds pick up pollen and bring it to other plants further along that are producing female flowers. This special strategy for cross-pollination between different plants promotes genetic variation through sexual reproduction. However, hummingbird flower mites create some competition for the hummingbirds. These mites also feed on the pollen and nectar from these flowers, even walking between flowers in a single plant and laying offspring inside the flowers which also consume the nectar. Indeed, these mites have a significant impact on the flowers, as their presence reduces nectar secretion, wasting energy spent by the plant and making it harder for plants to attract hummingbird pollinators. These mites aren’t all bad news, however, as they may also serve as pollinators as they travel between flowers. The competition with mites also requires hummingbirds to travel further to obtain a sufficient amount of nectar, helping plants reproduce with more distant relatives.