Consequences of nectar robbing for the fitness of a threatened plant species |
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Authors: | Sílvia Castro Paulo Silveira Luis Navarro |
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Institution: | (1) CESAM, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;(2) Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;(3) Department of Plant Biology and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, As Lagoas-Marcosende, 36200 Vigo, Spain;(4) Present address: Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benátská 2, Prague, 2, CZ-128 01, Czech Republic |
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Abstract: | The effect of nectar robbing on plant fitness is poorly understood and restricted to a few plant species. Furthermore, the
available studies generally evaluate the effects of nectar robbing on female fitness, disregarding the male component. Here
we measured the effects of the nectar-robbing bumblebees on male (measured as pollen analogue flow distance) and female (measured
as seed production) reproductive success in the insect-dependent Polygala vayredae, a narrow endemic species from the pre-Pyrenees (Spain). Intense nectar robbing by bumblebees significantly reduced the nectar
available to legitimate pollinators in the studied population, and this reduction affected both male and female fitness. Significant
differences were observed in fluorescent dye dispersion between robbed and non-robbed flowers within the population. Fluorescent
dyes from non-robbed flowers were dispersed to larger distances and over a larger number of flowers when compared with robbed
ones. Moreover, significant differences were observed in both fruit set and seed ovule ratios between the two groups, with
non-robbed flowers presenting higher reproductive outcomes. However, no effect on seed weight was detected among treatments.
The data obtained suggest that in this species, nectar robbing has important indirect and negative effects on plant fecundity,
through both male and female functions, due to a modification in the foraging behaviour of legitimate visitors. |
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Keywords: | Bumblebees Female fitness Foraging behaviour Male fitness Nectar robber Reproductive success |
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