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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
Published on: November 25, 2016
Pollinator experience, neophobia and the evolution of flowering time
Jessica Forrest1, James D Thomson
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G5. jessica.forrest@utoronto.ca
Climate warming drives earlier flowering evolution, but bumble-bees’ neophobia and frequency dependence can hinder this adaptation. Pollinator behavior may prevent plants from evolving flowering times to match environmental changes.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Climate warming is a significant environmental change exerting directional selection on plant reproductive phenology.
- Successful evolution of earlier flowering in zoophilous species depends on pollinator visitation to early-flowering individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how bumble-bee foraging behavior influences the evolution of flowering phenology under climate change.
- To model the impact of pollinator neophobia and frequency dependence on plant adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory experiment using artificial flowers to observe bumble-bee (Bombus impatiens) foraging choices.
- Simulation modeling incorporating bee foraging behaviors (neophobia, positive frequency dependence) and selection against late flowering.
Main Results:
- Early flowering individuals of a second 'species' were under-visited due to bee avoidance of unfamiliar and rare flowers.
- The simulation model showed that pollinator visitation lags prevented plant populations from adapting to selection for earlier flowering.
- This led to population declines, indicating a constraint on evolutionary adjustment.
Conclusions:
- Pollinator behavior, specifically neophobia and frequency dependence, can significantly constrain the evolution of plant flowering phenology.
- Observed pollinator foraging patterns can impede plant adaptation to environmental changes like climate warming.
- Understanding these ecological interactions is crucial for predicting plant evolutionary trajectories.
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