Floral traits are associated with the quality but not quantity of heterospecific stigmatic pollen loads.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In flowering communities, plant species commonly share pollinators and therefore plant individuals receive heterospecific pollen (HP). However, the patterns of HP transfers can deviate from patterns of plant-pollinator visitations. Although flower-visitor interactions are known to be mediated by floral traits, e.g. floral size or nectar tube depth, the explanatory power of these traits for HP transfer patterns remains elusive. Here, we have explored pollen transfer patterns at three sites in Southern Germany on three dates (early, mid and late summer). At the plant level, we tested whether flower abundance and floral traits are correlated with HP reception and donation. At the community level, we determined whether flower and bee diversity are correlated with network mod

SUBMITTER: Peuker MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7539470 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature