Because the bumblebee that an orchid relies on for pollination does not exist on a remote island, the plant gets pollinated by an island wasp. Kobe University researchers found that this came at the cost of being hybridized with another orchid species adapted to being pollinated by the wasp. The finding showcases how plants in ecological relationships adapt to changing circumstances.
The iconic but threatened Amami rabbit has been shown to play an important role in seed dispersal for such non-photosynthetic plant Balanophora yuwanensis.
The monotropastrum humile plant, which resembles a ghost and is found in woodlands throughout East and Southeast Asia, was believed to be one species only.