Interaction frequency as a surrogate for the total effect of animal mutualists on plants

Vázquez, Diego P.; Morris, William F.; Jordano, Pedro

doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00810.x

Cited by 494 publications

(484 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

451

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Some researchers (e.g. Gómez and Zamora 1992;Morris 2003;Vázquez et al 2005) argue that visitation rate could be a suitable surrogate of pollinator performance. Although attractive in terms of research methodology and concurrent with our present results, this suggestion seems true only provided the visitation is performed by animals that are equivalent in terms of the quality component of pollination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The most effective pollinator revisited: pollen dynamics in a spring-flowering herb

Zych

Goldstein

Roguz

et al. 2013

Arthropod-Plant Interactions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most flowers are visited by a wide range of potential pollinators. However, their efficiency in pollen removal and deposition, and other behavioural factors affecting pollination effectiveness may greatly differ among taxa, and even individuals. Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris L., Liliaceae) is a spring-flowering, critically endangered plant in the Polish flora, red-listed in most of the European countries of its range. Based on indirect evidence, that is, body pollen loads, visitation frequency and seasonal abundance, it is estimated that its key pollinators are queen bumblebees, but, as shown in the literature, the largest Fritillaria pollen loads are carried by solitary bees. To study pollinator effectiveness for floral visitors to F. meleagris, we performed a garden experiment, where we analysed pollen deposition and assessed pollen removal per single flowervisit in the plant. Similarly to field conditions reported in the literature, our experimental plants were serviced by nectarseeking bumblebee queens and two taxa of solitary bees, small pollen-collecting Andrena and large, nectar-seeking Anthophora males. When ''quality'' component was addressed, despite the character of visits, insects from all groups deposited more pollen than was found on unvisited flowers, but they did not differ significantly from each other in pollen deposition on virgin stigmas. We also found some differences in pollen removal both within-and among-visitor species and control flowers, unfortunately due to extremely high variation of the results they were all statistically insignificant. However, when ''quantity'' component of insect performance was concerned, we observed that over 81 % of visits were by bumblebees. Bombus queens stayed on flowers significantly less time than small Andrena individuals (13 % of recorded visits) and equally long as Anthophora males (only 6 % of visits). We conclude that although all the visitor groups can pollinate the flowers of F. meleagris, bumblebee queens indeed proved to be the most effective pollinators of the plant, when both quality and quantity components of pollination are concerned.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The most effective pollinator revisited: pollen dynamics in a spring-flowering herb

Zych

Goldstein

Roguz

et al. 2013

Arthropod-Plant Interactions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Often, frequency of interaction is substituted for strength of interaction because the former is easier to measure. Vázquez et al (2005) show that the relationship between interaction frequency and total effect are generally strongly correlated, despite the fact that interaction frequency is not correlated with per-interaction effect. Thus, although it is not ideal, observations of the frequencies of interactions could yield key insights into the strengths of interactions in communities.…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Research (A) Optimize Monitoring mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of phenological mismatches on demography

Miller‐Rushing

Høye

Inouye

et al. 2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

518

508

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate change is altering the phenology of species across the world, but what are the consequences of these phenological changes for the demography and population dynamics of species? Time-sensitive relationships, such as migration, breeding and predation, may be disrupted or altered, which may in turn alter the rates of reproduction and survival, leading some populations to decline and others to increase in abundance. However, finding evidence for disrupted relationships, or lack thereof, and their demographic effects, is difficult because the necessary detailed observational data are rare. Moreover, we do not know how sensitive species will generally be to phenological mismatches when they occur. Existing long-term studies provide preliminary data for analysing the phenology and demography of species in several locations. In many instances, though, observational protocols may need to be optimized to characterize timing-based multi-trophic interactions. As a basis for future research, we outline some of the key questions and approaches to improving our understanding of the relationships among phenology, demography and climate in a multi-trophic context. There are many challenges associated with this line of research, not the least of which is the need for detailed, long-term data on many organisms in a single system. However, we identify key questions that can be addressed with data that already exist and propose approaches that could guide future research.

show abstract

“…67 % of visits, whereas syrphids (especially Eristalis tenax) were by far the most effective pollinators, but were responsible for only 16 % of visits (Pérez-Bañón et al 2007). This shows that the hypothesis proposed by some researchers (Gómez and Zamora 1992;Morris 2003;Vázquez et al 2005), namely, that visit rate is a good surrogate of pollinator performance, should be treated with caution, as it is true only for some plant species (see e.g. Motten et al 1981;Fishbein and Venable 1996;Olsen 1997;Sahli and Conner 2007;Niemirski and Zych 2011;Zych and Stpiczyńska 2012;Zych et al 2013), and thus may be misleading in others (e.g.…”

Section: Pollination Importancementioning

confidence: 99%

Myophily in the critically endangered umbelliferous plant Ostericum palustre Besser (Apiaceae)

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Globally, many plant species face humaninduced habitat loss and an associated reduction in population size and vitality. Their survival is often possible only when appropriate conservation measures are taken that address the biology and ecology of these species, including their reproduction, often the most vulnerable stage in the life history of the organism. Unfortunately, little is known about these aspects of the biology of many listed plant species. For 3 years, we studied the pollination biology of the critically endangered plant species Ostericum palustre Besser (Apiaceae), one that is listed in the Bern Convention and Annex II of the EU Flora-Fauna Directive. Flowers of this taxon were visited by over 81 species of anthophilous insects derived from 5 taxonomic orders, indicating the presence of a generalised pollination system. However, detailed analyses of the frequency of insect visits, pollen loads and insect behaviour on inflorescences suggest that the plant is chiefly pollinated by large Dipterans, predominantly large Syrphid flies and Muscoid flies, that together are often responsible for over 90 % of total pollinations. Occasionally, wasps (Vespidae) may also be involved in the pollination of this species. With respect to the pollination system of O. palustre, our results indicate that this is a classic example of myophily, and generally, this species can be regarded as a functional specialist, but like many other members of Apiaceae, it is a typical ''bethedger''. This strategy may probably increase the plant's reproductive success in a range of habitat conditions, suggesting that the pollination system is unlikely to be the cause of rarity in this species.

show abstract

Interaction frequency as a surrogate for the total effect of animal mutualists on plants

Cited by 494 publications

References 50 publications

The most effective pollinator revisited: pollen dynamics in a spring-flowering herb

The most effective pollinator revisited: pollen dynamics in a spring-flowering herb

The effects of phenological mismatches on demography

Myophily in the critically endangered umbelliferous plant Ostericum palustre Besser (Apiaceae)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About