Drought-induced reduction in flower size and abundance correlates with reduced flower visits by bumble bees.

ABSTRACT: Reduced water availability can cause physiological stress in plants that affects floral development leading to changes in floral morphology and traits that mediate interactions with pollinators. As pollinators can detect small changes in trait expressions, drought-induced changes in floral traits could affect pollinator visitations. However, the linkage between changes in floral traits and pollinator visitations under drought conditions is not well explored. We, therefore, tested whether drought-induced changes in floral morphology and abundance of flowers are linked to changes in pollinator visitations. We conducted flight cage experiments with a radio frequency identification system for automated visitation recordings with bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) and common charlock (Si

SUBMITTER: Kuppler J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7891244 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature