The effect of interspecific and intraspecific competition on floral fidelity in pollinator bee species Público

Bok, Holly J. (2014)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/q237hs27w?locale=pt-BR
Published

Abstract

Global declines in pollinator species bring particular attention to the role of competition networks in plant-pollinator communities. As pollinator species decline, interspecific competition between remaining bee species may decrease, which may cause shifts in the floral fidelity of pollinator species. Decreases in floral fidelity, in turn, may have serious consequences for biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships because specialized plant-pollinator relationships are important for plant reproduction. Here I examine the relationship between interspecific and intraspecific competition and short-term floral fidelity in pollinator bee species. I explore the effect of interspecific competition on short-term floral fidelity, complementarity, and energy uptake in four pollinator species: Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens, Osmia lignaria, and Megachile rotundata. I predicted that an increase in interspecific competition would result in an increase in floral fidelity, and that increases in intraspecific competition would have the opposite pattern. Megachile rotundata and A. mellifera individuals did not forage normally in the laboratory enclosure, so I do not report results for those species. I found that interspecific competition has a positive relationship with floral fidelity for B. impatiens, but, in contrast, that interspecific competition has a negative relationship with floral fidelity for O. lignaria. I found that intraspecific competition had the opposite effect, with a positive relationship with B. impatiens and a negative relationship with O. lignaria. The effect of interspecific competition on fidelity was stronger than the effect of intraspecific competition. I found no effect of interspecific or intraspecific competition on complementarity or energy uptake, but likely as a result of analysis rather than the lack of an underlying pattern.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  1. Abstract...............................................................................................................................1

  2. Introduction........................................................................................................................2

  3. Methods..............................................................................................................................7

  4. Results..............................................................................................................................12

  5. Discussion.........................................................................................................................15

  6. Tables and Figures...........................................................................................................33

  7. Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................36

  8. References........................................................................................................................36

  9. List of Tables and Figures................................................................................................39

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement
  • Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.
School
Department
Degree
Submission
Language
  • English
Research Field
Palavra-chave
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor
Committee Members
Última modificação

Primary PDF

Supplemental Files