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

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

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School	Emory College
Department	Environmental Studies
Degree	BS
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Biology, Ecology
Palavra-chave	Diet Breadth Competition Floral Fidelity Ecosystem-Functioning Bees Specialization Pollinator Biodiversity
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Brosi, Berry J, Emory University
Committee Members	Beck, Christopher, Emory University Gillespie, Thomas R., Emory University

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