Flower constancy in insect pollinators: Adaptive foraging behaviour or cognitive limitation?

Although pollinators can play a central role in determining the structure and stability of plant communities, little is known about how their adaptive foraging behaviours at the individual level, e.g. flower constancy, structure these interactions. Here, we construct a mathematical model that integrates individual adaptive foraging behaviour and population dynamics of a community consisting of two plant species and a pollinator species. We find that adaptive foraging at the individual level, as a complementary mechanism to adaptive foraging at the species level, can further enhance the coexistence of plant species through niche partitioning between conspecific pollinators. The stabilizing effect is stronger than that of unbiased generalists when there is also strong competition between plant species over other resources, but less so than that of multiple specialist species. This suggests that adaptive foraging in mutualistic interactions can have a very different impact on the plant community structure from that in predator–prey interactions. In addition, the adaptive behaviour of individual pollinators may cause a sharp regime shift for invading plant species. These results indicate the importance of integrating individual adaptive behaviour and population dynamics for the conservation of native plant communities.

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Beavers and lilies: selective herbivory and adaptive foraging behaviour

Freshwater Biology ◽

10.1111/fwb.12259 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 224-232 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. Law ◽

N. Bunnefeld ◽

N. J. Willby

Keyword(s):

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Selective Herbivory ◽

Adaptive Foraging

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Giving-up diversity (GUDiv): top-down effects of foraging decisions on local, landscape and regional biodiversity of resources

10.22541/au.161113483.38126576/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jana Eccard ◽

Clara Ferreira ◽

Andres Peredo Arce ◽

Melanie Dammhahn

Keyword(s):

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Spatial Diversity ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Community Effects ◽

Wild Rodents ◽

Cascading Effects ◽

Predation Effects ◽

Novel Concept ◽

Adaptive Foraging

Foraging by consumers has direct effects on the community of their resource species, and may serve as a biotic filtering mechanism of diversity. Determinants of foraging behaviour may thus have cascading effects on abundance, diversity, and functional trait composition of the resource community. Here we propose giving-up diversity (GUDiv) as a novel concept and simple measure to quantify community effects of foraging at multiple spatial diversity scales. GUDiv provides a framework linking theories of adaptive foraging behaviour with community ecology. In experimental resource landscapes we showcase effects of patch residency of foraging wild rodents on α-GUDiv, ß-GUDiv and γ- GUDiv, and on functional trait composition of resources. Using GUDiv allows for prediction-based investigation of cascading indirect predation effects (ecology of fear) across multiple trophic levels, of feedbacks between functional trait composition of resource and consumer communities, and of effects of inter-individual differences among foragers on the diversity of resource communities.

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DIVERSITY, RELATIVE ABUNDANCE AND FORAGING BEHAVIOUR OF INSECT POLLINATORS ON MURRAYA KOENIGII (L. ) (RUTACEAE)

10.29369/ijrbat.2018.01.i.0102 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

M M Dhore M M Dhore ◽

Keyword(s):

Relative Abundance ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Murraya Koenigii ◽

Insect Pollinators

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Corrigendum to “Prey killing without consumption: Does Macrolophus pygmaeus show adaptive foraging behaviour?” [Biological Control 47 (2008) 187–193]

Biological Control ◽

10.1016/j.biocontrol.2008.11.005 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 323

Author(s):

A.A. Fantinou ◽

D.Ch. Perdikis ◽

D.A. Maselou ◽

P.D. Lambropoulos

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Macrolophus Pygmaeus ◽

Prey Killing ◽

Adaptive Foraging

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Prey killing without consumption: Does Macrolophus pygmaeus show adaptive foraging behaviour?

Biological Control ◽

10.1016/j.biocontrol.2008.08.004 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 187-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

A.A. Fantinou ◽

D.Ch. Perdikis ◽

D.A. Maselou ◽

P.D. Lambropoulos

Keyword(s):

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Macrolophus Pygmaeus ◽

Prey Killing ◽

Adaptive Foraging

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Floral phenology and morphology of colchicine-induced tetraploid Acacia mangium compared with diploid A. mangium and A. auriculiformis: implications for interploidy pollination

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt11130 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 59 (6) ◽

pp. 582 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

C. Q. Nghiem ◽

C. E. Harwood ◽

J. L. Harbard ◽

A. R. Griffin ◽

T. H. Ha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Acacia Mangium ◽

Flowering Period ◽

Flower Structure ◽

Ploidy Levels ◽

Floral Phenology ◽

Insect Pollinators

Floral phenology and morphology of colchicine-induced auto-tetraploid trees of Acacia mangium Willd. (AM-4x) growing in Vietnam were compared with adjacent diploid A. mangium (AM-2x) and A. auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth (AA-2x). Flowering lasted for several months with a slightly later peak flowering period for A. auriculiformis (December–January), than for A. mangium (November–December). Flower spikes of AM-4x were shorter and had fewer flowers per spike than those of AM-2x, but were longer and had more flowers than AA-2x. Percentages of male to hermaphrodite flowers were less than 23% for all three species/ploidy combinations. Flowers of AM-4x had slightly shorter styles than did AM-2x, but AM-4x stigma and polyad diameters were greater. For all polyad-stigma combinations among species/ploidy levels, at least one polyad could be accommodated. AM-4x had fewer (13) ovules per ovary, compared with AM-2x and AA-2x (14–16). AM-4x set fewer (less than 3) seeds per pod than did AM-2x and AA-2x (7–8 and 5–6, respectively). Foraging behaviour of the main insect pollinators (honeybees) and examination of polyads collected from them suggested interspecific and interploidy pollination would occur. There appeared to be no phenophase or flower structure barriers to interploidy pollination.

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A STUDY IN THE RELATIVE CONSTANCY OF HIVE BEES AND WILD BEES IN POLLEN GATHERING

Canadian Journal of Research ◽

10.1139/cjr33-089 ◽

1933 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 334-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

W. H. Brittain ◽

Dorothy E. Newton

Keyword(s):

Solitary Bees ◽

Minor Role ◽

Wild Bees ◽

Flower Constancy ◽

Pollen Loads ◽

Insect Pollinators ◽

The Difference ◽

A Minor ◽

Different Sources ◽

Significant Superiority

The chief purpose of the investigations described in this paper was to determine the relative pollen constancy of the various insect pollinators of the apple. In addition to the hive bee, these proved to be solitary bees belonging to the genera Halictus and Andrena, with Bremidae and various Diptera playing a minor role. It is pointed out that apparent flower constancy depends a great deal upon availability and that almost any result may be obtained by choosing certain periods in which to make tests. The results, based on analyses of the pollen loads of bees captured in apple blossoms, place the hive bee first as regards the number of pure loads, followed by Halictus, with Andrena a poor third. Taking into consideration the results of the entire season, and the analyses of bees from different sources of pollen, Halictus came first in these particular tests, but the difference is not considered significant. The supposed superiority of the hive bee from the standpoint of constancy does not appear to have been proved. Both Halictus and the hive bee, however, evidenced a significant superiority over the Andrena species studied.

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