Floral traits as potential indicators of pollination vs. theft

Abstract

Floral visitation does not necessarily mean pollination, as several animals utilize floral resources without transferring pollen. Since pollinators and thieves can affect the reproduction, morphology and diversification of flowering plants, we here investigated if attributes of flowers and flowering of plant species collected in the central Brazilian vereda would predict the pollination (pollen seeking) or theft (pollen/nectar theft) during the visits. It was hypothesized that non specialized flowers would have a higher incidence of thievery, where as specialization, for example, the presence of large and medium flowers with long corolla, making it difficult to access nectar, would lead to increased pollination. As a result, four attributes were mainly associated with illegitimate visits, and in order of importance, they are size (small), quantity of flowers per plant (large), flowering time (< 10 months) and floral type (inconspicuous). The richest and most abundant visitor groups, including bees, flies and wasps, acted mainly as potential pollinators, while cockroaches, butterflies, beetles, ants and hemipterans acted as thieves. However, further studies are required to confirm that this pattern is repeated in other larger and more diverse communities, thus confirming the possible preference for floral thieves. Key words: vereda, bees, anthophilous fauna, flowering, generalist flower. ResumoTipos florais de plantas como potenciais indicadores da ocorrência de polinização vs. pilhagem. A visitação floral não é sinônimo de polinização, vários animais utilizam recursos florais sem transferir pólen. Essas visitas podem ser consideradas pilhagem. Polinizadores e pilhadores podem afetar a diversificação morfológica, taxonômica e reprodutiva das espécies de plantas, e nós investigamos se os atributos florais e de floração das espécies de plantas amostradas em vegetação de vereda nos dariam evidência de visitas de polinização (transporte de pólen) ou de pilhagem (roubo de néctar/pólen). Esperamos que as flores não especializadas tenham uma maior incidência de pilhagem, enquanto flores especializadas, por exemplo com tamanho grande e médio e corolas longas, com néctar menos acessível, tenderiam a ser polinizadas e menos pilhadas. Quatro atributos foram associados principalmente com visitas ilegítimas, tamanho da flor (pequeno), quantidade de flores por planta (muitas flores), tempo de floração (<10 meses) e tipo floral (inconspícuo). Os grupos mais ricos e mais abundantes de visitantes, incluindo abelhas, moscas e vespas, atuaram principalmente como potenciais polinizadores, enquanto baratas, borboletas, besouros, formigas e hemípteros atuaram como pilhadores. No entanto, mais estudos são necessários para confirmar se esse padrão se repete em outras comunidades maiores e mais diversificadas, confirmando assim a eventual preferência dos pilhadores. Palavras-chave: vereda, abelhas, fauna antófila, floração, flor generalista.

Temporal variation in plant–pollinator networks from seasonal tropical environments: Higher specialization when resources are scarce

“…This type of vegetation is usually associated with water springs, which allows for some soil humidity even during the dry season. It is characterized by the dominance of Mauritia flexuosa palms (Moreira, Eisenlohr, Pott, Pott, & Oliveira‐Filho, ; Souza, Aoki, Ribas, Pott, & Sigrist, ), which represent the upper layer of vegetation; understorey includes some herbs and shrubs. Data were collected from September 2012 to August 2013 at Campo Grande municipality, in the private natural reserve “Guariroba” (5 ha, state of Mato Grosso do Sul: 54°23′54″W, 20°32′39″S).…”

What Do Nectarivorous Bats Like? Nectar Composition in Bromeliaceae With Special Emphasis on Bat-Pollinated Species

“…Recently, the pollination syndrome concept has been criticized, as it is a fact that several flowers attract a broader spectrum of visitors (Ollerton et al, 2009; Schmid et al, 2011). However, flower visitation does not necessarily mean pollination (Waser et al, 1996; Souza et al, 2016). Different floral traits, like flower morphology, floral scent, duration of anthesis, time of pollen release, breeding system, and nectar compounds in relation to morphology and behavior of the floral visitors are considered to characterize the reproductive biology and the pollination type of plant species (Fumero-Cabán and Meléndez-Ackerman, 2007; Amorim et al, 2013).…”

Bioecological and Behavioral Interaction between Pollinating Bees and the Pioneer Shrub Ludwigia nervosa in Degraded Area Suggests an Exotic Bee as Its Major Pollinator

“…H. Hara, is a perennial shrub with primary distribution in wet, open, and regenerating areas [ 2 , 13 , 19 ]. Additionally, because of its continuous flowering habit, the plant has potential to provide food (pollen and nectar) for a wide array of pollinators throughout the year [ 20 ].…”