Using citizen science to monitor pollination services

Nectar larceny in the trainbearers (Lesbia, Trochilidae)

10.1101/2020.06.10.143909 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Boris Igić ◽

Ivory Nguyen ◽

Phillip B. Fenberg

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Field Observations ◽

Nectar Robbing ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Nectar Foraging ◽

Published Report ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Original Field ◽

Total Proportion ◽

Floral Larceny

ABSTRACTMany flower visitors engage in floral larceny, a suite of so-called ‘illegitimate’ visits in which foragers take nectar without providing pollination services. The data on prevalence of illegitimate visits among hummingbirds, as well as the total proportion of foraging and diet that such visits comprise is broadly lacking. Here, we report the occurrence of nectar larceny in both currently recognized species of trainbearers and analyze the proportion of plant visits categorized by mode of interaction as: primary robbing, secondary robbing, theft, and/or pollination. To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first published report identifying robbing in these species. We augment our original field observations using a trove of data from citizen science databases and literature. Although it is difficult to distinguish primary vs. secondary robbing and theft vs. pollination, we conservatively estimate that ca. 40% of the recorded nectar foraging visits involve nectar robbing. Males appear to engage in robbing marginally more than females, but further studies are necessary to confidently examine the multi-way interactions among sex, species, mode of visitation, and other factors. We discuss the significance of these findings in the context of recent developments in study of nectar foraging, larceny, and pollination from both avian and plant perspectives.

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Nectar robbing in the trainbearers (Lesbia, Trochilidae)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9561 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9561

Author(s):

Boris Igić ◽

Ivory Nguyen ◽

Phillip B. Fenberg

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Field Observations ◽

Territorial Defense ◽

Nectar Robbing ◽

Pollination Services ◽

Nectar Foraging ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Original Field ◽

Total Proportion ◽

Floral Larceny

Many flower visitors engage in floral larceny, a suite of so-called ’illegitimate’ visits in which foragers take nectar without providing pollination services. The data on prevalence of illegitimate visits among hummingbirds, as well as the total proportion of foraging and diet that such visits comprise is broadly lacking. Here, we report the occurrence of nectar larceny in the two currently recognized species of trainbearers and analyze the proportion of plant visits categorized by mode of interaction as: robbing, theft, and/or pollination. We augment our original field observations using a trove of data from citizen science databases. Although it is difficult to distinguish primary vs. secondary robbing and theft vs. pollination, we conservatively estimate that ca. 40% of the recorded nectar foraging visits involve nectar robbing. Males appear to engage in robbing marginally more than females, but further studies are necessary to confidently examine the multi-way interactions among sex, species, mode of visitation, and other factors. Our results also indicate that the suggested relationship between serrations on bill tomia and traits such as nectar robbing or territorial defense may be complicated. We discuss the significance of these findings in the context of recent developments in study of nectar foraging, larceny, and pollination from both avian and plant perspectives.

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