Title: | Wind drives temporal variation in pollinator visitation in a fragmented tropical forest |
Author(s): | Crall JD; Brokaw J; Gagliardi SF; Mendenhall CD; Pierce NE; Combes SA; |
Address: | "Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA. Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA. Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA, USA. Section of Birds, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, USA" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1744-957X (Electronic) 1744-9561 (Print) 1744-9561 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Wind is a critical factor in the ecology of pollinating insects such as bees. However, the role of wind in determining patterns of bee abundance and floral visitation rates across space and time is not well understood. Orchid bees are an important and diverse group of neotropical pollinators that harvest pollen, nectar and resin from plants. In addition, male orchid bees collect volatile scents that they store in special chambers in their hind legs, and for which the wind-based dispersal of odours may play a particularly crucial role. Here, we take advantage of this specialized scent foraging behaviour to study the effects of wind on orchid bee visitation at scent sources in a fragmented tropical forest ecosystem. Consistent with previous work, forest cover increased orchid bee visitation. In addition, we find that temporal changes in wind speed and turbulence increase visitation to scent stations within sites. These results suggest that the increased dispersal of attractive scents provided by wind and turbulence outweighs any biomechanical or energetic costs that might deter bees from foraging in these conditions. Overall, our results highlight the significance of wind in the ecology of these important pollinators in neotropical forests" |
Keywords: | Animals Bees *Ecosystem Flowers Forests Male Plant Nectar *Pollination Wind bee forest fragmentation orchid bees pollinator turbulence; |
Notes: | "MedlineCrall, James D Brokaw, Julia Gagliardi, Susan F Mendenhall, Chase D Pierce, Naomi E Combes, Stacey A eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. England 2020/04/22 Biol Lett. 2020 Apr; 16(4):20200103. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0103. Epub 2020 Apr 22" |