Bee Body Size and Foraging Behavior Predict the Pollination Role of Bees in a Buzz-Pollinated Plant Community.

ABSTRACT: Buzz pollination has been studied for over a century, yet the drivers shaping plant-pollinator interactions at the community level remain poorly understood. Although previous research has identified key functional traits associated with sonication-foraging behavior and taxonomic relationships among floral visitors, the specific bee traits that promote effective pollination are still unclear. In this study, we investigated which morphological and behavioral characteristics of flower-visiting bees predict pollination success within a plant community containing multiple buzz-pollinated species. Focusing on eight co-occurring, co-flowering plant species with poricidal anthers, we measured stigma contact (as a proxy for pollination efficiency), visitation rates, flower and whole plant handling

SUBMITTER: Mesquita-Neto JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12417104 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature