Nectar robbers deter legitimate pollinators by mutilating flowers

Oikos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (6) ◽  
pp. 868-878
Author(s):  
Sangeetha Varma ◽  
T. P. Rajesh ◽  
K. Manoj ◽  
G. Asha ◽  
T. Jobiraj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nectar Robbers

Roles of nectar robbers in reproduction of the tropical treelet Quassia amara (Simaroubaceae)

Oecologia ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Roubik ◽  
N. Michele Holbrook ◽  
German V. Parra
Keyword(s):  
Nectar Robbers ◽  
Quassia Amara

Heavy metals in nectar modify behaviors of pollinators and nectar robbers: Consequences for plant fitness

2018 ◽  
Vol 242 ◽  
pp. 1166-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erna Xun ◽  
Yanwen Zhang ◽  
Jimin Zhao ◽  
Jixun Guo
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Plant Fitness ◽  
Nectar Robbers

scholarly journals Ants contribute to pollination but not to reproduction in a rare calcareous grassland forb

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Rostás ◽  
Felix Bollmann ◽  
David Saville ◽  
Michael Riedel
Keyword(s):  
Germination Rate ◽  
Calcareous Grassland ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Metapleural Gland ◽  
Dry Grassland ◽  
Fitness Effects ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Antibiotic Effect ◽  
Tapinoma Erraticum ◽  
Nectar Robbers

The number of plants pollinated by ants is surprisingly low given the abundance of ants and the fact that they are common visitors of angiosperms. Generally ants are considered as nectar robbers that do not provide pollination service. We studied the pollination system of the endangered dry grassland forb Euphorbia seguieriana and found two ant species to be the most frequent visitors of its flowers. Workers of Formica cunicularia carried five times more pollen than smaller Tapinoma erraticum individuals, but significantly more viable pollen was recovered from the latter. Overall, the viability of pollen on ant cuticles was significantly lower (p < 0.001)—presumably an antibiotic effect of the metapleural gland secretion. A marking experiment suggested that ants were unlikely to facilitate outcrossing as workers repeatedly returned to the same individual plant. In open pollinated plants and when access was given exclusively to flying insects, fruit set was nearly 100%. In plants visited by ants only, roughly one third of flowers set fruit, and almost none set fruit when all insects were excluded. The germination rate of seeds from flowers pollinated by flying insects was 31 ± 7% in contrast to 1 ± 1% resulting from ant pollination. We conclude that inbreeding depression may be responsible for the very low germination rate in ant pollinated flowers and that ants, although the most frequent visitors, play a negligible or even deleterious role in the reproduction of E. seguieriana. Our study reiterates the need to investigate plant fitness effects beyond seed set in order to confirm ant-plant mutualisms.

scholarly journals Passerine birds supporting cross pollination in Erythrina stricta Roxb.

Dendrobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 85 ◽  
pp. 117-126
Author(s):  
Vinod Prasad Khanduri ◽  
Kewat Sanjay Kumar ◽  
Chandra Mohan Sharma ◽  
Manoj Kumar Riyal ◽  
Kalpataru Kar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive System ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pollination Experiments ◽  
Controlled Pollination ◽  
Cross Pollination ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Flowering Season ◽  
Pycnonotus Cafer ◽  
Nectar Robbers

Erythina stricta is an ecologically important tree species in the rainforests of India and its nectar within the flowers contributes to birds’ diet and survival. Reports on the pollination of this species have not been published so far. We therefore explore the reproductive system of this tree species which has great significance to its ecosystem. Birds have an important role in the reproduction of trees through pollination particularly in tropical areas where reproductive success mostly depends on animal pollinator interactions. Study of visitation and nectar feeding behaviour of birds along with breeding system assessment of Erythina stricta. Birds visiting and foraging behaviour was observed during Erythrina stricta flowering season in an indian tropical rainforest. Reproductive system was assessed through controlled pollination experiments. Thirteen bird species were recorded visiting and foraging nectar from the flowers of Erythrina stricta. The maximum numbers of visits recorded were from the Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer, Pycnonotidae). The nectar feeding birds were, either (i) potential pollinator with long bills (e.g. Pycnonotus spp., Chloropsis aurifrons, and Dicrurus spp.) or (ii) nectar robbers with comparatively shorter bills (e.g. Zosterops palpebrosa, Stachyris ruficeps, Macronous gularis, Heterophasia glaciris). Controlled pollination experiments revealed high degree of cross pollination (xenogamy) and self-incompatibility in E. stricta. Birds were more frequent in early mornings and their foraging activity was also observed during evening hours; the frequency however, declined with respect to nectar availability. Long corolla tubes of E. stricta could restrict access to nectar collecting bees.

scholarly journals Microbial abundance, composition, and function in nectar are shaped by flower visitor identity

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan M Morris ◽  
Natalie J Frixione ◽  
Alexander C Burkert ◽  
Elizabeth A Dinsdale ◽  
Rachel L Vannette
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Culturable Bacteria ◽  
Microbial Abundance ◽  
Floral Nectar ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomics ◽  
Carpenter Bees ◽  
Vector Identity ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi ◽  
And Function ◽  
Nectar Robbers

ABSTRACT Microbial dispersal is essential for establishment in new habitats, but the role of vector identity is poorly understood in community assembly and function. Here, we compared microbial assembly and function in floral nectar visited by legitimate pollinators (hummingbirds) and nectar robbers (carpenter bees). We assessed effects of visitation on the abundance and composition of culturable bacteria and fungi and their taxonomy and function using shotgun metagenomics and nectar chemistry. We also compared metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Acinetobacter, a common and highly abundant nectar bacterium, among visitor treatments. Visitation increased microbial abundance, but robbing resulted in 10× higher microbial abundance than pollination. Microbial communities differed among visitor treatments: robbed flowers were characterized by predominant nectar specialists within Acetobacteraceae and Metschnikowiaceae, with a concurrent loss of rare taxa, and these resulting communities harbored genes relating to osmotic stress, saccharide metabolism and specialized transporters. Gene differences were mirrored in function: robbed nectar contained a higher percentage of monosaccharides. Draft genomes of Acinetobacter revealed distinct amino acid and saccharide utilization pathways in strains isolated from robbed versus pollinated flowers. Our results suggest an unrecognized cost of nectar robbing for pollination and distinct effects of visitor type on interactions between plants and pollinators. Overall, these results suggest vector identity is an underappreciated factor structuring microbial community assembly and function.

Nectar robbers influence the trait–fitness relationship of Primula secundiflora

Plant Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 967-974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wu ◽  
Z.‐Q. Zhang ◽  
Q.‐J. Li
Keyword(s):  
Nectar Robbers ◽  
Relationship Of

scholarly journals Asymmetrical disassortative pollination in a distylous primrose: the complementary roles of bumblebee nectar robbers and syrphid flies

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing-Fu Zhu ◽  
Xian-Feng Jiang ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Zhi-Qiang Zhang ◽  
Qing-Jun Li
Keyword(s):  
Syrphid Flies ◽  
Nectar Robbers

scholarly journals Nectar robbers pollinate flowers with sexual organs hidden within corollas in distylous Primula secundiflora (Primulaceae)

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 785-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing-Fu Zhu ◽  
Jin-Peng Wan ◽  
Qing-Jun Li
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Bumble Bees ◽  
Pollen Flow ◽  
Selective Agent ◽  
Male Fitness ◽  
Seed Number ◽  
Female Fitness ◽  
Fresh Pollen ◽  
Nectar Robbers

Nectar robbers are thought rarely to pollinate flowers, especially those with sexual organs hidden within corollas. In this study, we examined whether robbers pollinate flowers of distylous Primula secundiflora . Distylous plants have two floral morphs. Pin flowers have long styles and short stamens, and thrum flowers have short styles and long stamens. Flowers of P. secundiflora were commonly robbed by bumble-bees, and robbing holes were always situated between high and low sexual organs for both floral morphs. We observed that pollen grains of pin flowers were removed while thrum flowers received fresh pollen grains immediately after flowers were robbed. We manipulated flowers so that only nectar robbers could visit them. This resulted in 98 per cent of thrum flowers and 6 per cent of pin flowers setting fruit, and seed number per thrum fruit was also significantly higher than per pin fruit. Our findings suggest that nectar robbers transfer pollen from pin flowers to thrum flowers effectively, and consequently increase male fitness of the pin morph and female fitness of the thrum morph. Such asymmetrical pollen flow caused by nectar robbers may act as an important selective agent in floral fitness and evolution of distyly.

scholarly journals Quantifying direct vs. indirect effects of nectar robbers on male and female components of plant fitness

2015 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 1487-1497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca E. Irwin ◽  
Paige Howell ◽  
Candace Galen
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Plant Fitness ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Nectar Robbers
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