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Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
Published on: November 25, 2016
Warming, CO2, and nitrogen deposition interactively affect a plant-pollinator mutualism
Shelley E R Hoover1, Jenny J Ladley, Anastasia A Shchepetkina
1School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Ecology Letters
|January 7, 2012
Summary
Global environmental changes, including nitrogen deposition, warming, and CO2 enrichment, disrupt plant-pollinator interactions. These factors alter nectar, attracting bees to less nutritious, even harmful, food sources, reducing pollinator survival.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Environmental Science
- Pollination Biology
Background:
- Plant-pollinator mutualisms are vital ecosystem services threatened by global environmental changes.
- Land use, invasions, and climate change impact pollinator diversity and interactions.
- Interactions between nitrogen deposition, warming, and CO2 enrichment may alter plant chemistry and floral rewards.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interactive effects of nitrogen deposition, climate warming, and CO2 enrichment on plant-pollinator mutualisms.
- To determine how these drivers affect floral traits, nectar chemistry, and bumble bee pollinator responses.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a pumpkin (Cucurbita) model system to assess environmental change impacts.
- Evaluated non-additive effects on flower morphology, phenology, sex ratios, and nectar composition (sugars, amino acids).
- Measured bumble bee attraction to nectar and its effect on pollinator worker longevity.
Main Results:
- The combined drivers non-additively altered pumpkin flower traits and nectar chemistry.
- Nectar attractiveness to bumble bees was modified, leading to reduced pollinator worker longevity.
- Bees showed increased attraction to nectar from a treatment that decreased their survival by 22%.
Conclusions:
- Three major global environmental change drivers have interactive effects on plant-pollinator mutualisms.
- These interactive effects on floral rewards and pollinator responses were unpredictable from single-driver studies.
- Disruption of plant-pollinator mutualisms poses a significant threat to ecosystem function.
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