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Distasteful Nectar Deters Floral Robbery.

Sarah E Barlow¹, Geraldine A Wright², Carolyn Ma²

¹Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AB, UK.

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|August 15, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Plant nectar toxins deter nectar robbers but can reduce pollinator visits. Alkaloids in Aconitum nectar protect against nectar robbers while balancing specialized plant-pollinator relationships.

Keywords:

Aconitum Bombus Rana automated monitoring alkaloids bumblebees chemical defense nectar larceny nectar toxin specialized pollinators

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Plant Biology
Chemical Ecology

Background:

Toxic nectar presents an ecological paradox, potentially disrupting plant-pollinator mutualisms.
Plant toxins in nectar may defend against nectar robbers, but their impact on legitimate pollinators is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of nectar alkaloids in defending against nectar robbers in two Aconitum species.
To compare pollinator visitation and nectar robbing rates in relation to alkaloid concentration.

Main Methods:

Comparative study of Aconitum napellus and Aconitum lycoctonum, focusing on nectar composition and pollinator interactions.
Quantification of nectar carbohydrate and toxic alkaloid concentrations.
Observation of visits by specialized pollinators (Bombus hortorum) and nectar robbers (B. terrestris).

Main Results:

Nectar alkaloid concentration negatively correlated with pollinator visits, declining sharply above 200-380 ppm.
Alkaloid concentrations above 20 ppm deterred nectar robbers (B. terrestris), indicating lower tolerance.
A. lycoctonum secreted more nectar and received more visits from both pollinators and robbers.

Conclusions:

Nectar alkaloids in Aconitum species influence both pollinator visitation and nectar robbery rates.
Alkaloid presence may co-evolve with nectar availability to maintain specialized plant-pollinator relationships.
Nectar chemical defense is limited by pollinator gustatory sensitivity.