Asymmetric competition for nectar between a large nectar thief and a small pollinator: an energetic point of view

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12310%2F17%3A43895463" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12310/17:43895463 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216208:11310/17:10360562

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00442-017-3817-4" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00442-017-3817-4</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3817-4" target="_blank" >10.1007/s00442-017-3817-4</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Asymmetric competition for nectar between a large nectar thief and a small pollinator: an energetic point of view

Original language description

There are two alternative hypotheses related to body size and competition for restricted food sources. The first one supposes that larger animals are superior competitors because of their increased feeding abilities, whereas the second one assumes superiority of smaller animals because of their lower food requirements. We examined the relationship between two unrelated species of different size, drinking technique, energy requirements and roles in plant pollination system, to reveal the features of their competitive interaction and mechanisms enabling their co-existence while utilising the same nectar source. We observed diurnal feeding behaviour of the main pollinator, the carpenter bee Xylocopa caffra and a nectar thief, the northern double-collared sunbird Cinnyris reichenowi on 19 clumps of Hypoestes aristata (Acanthaceae) in Bamenda Highlands, Cameroon. For comparative purpose, we established a simplistic model of daily energy expenditure and daily energy intake by both visitor species assuming that they spend all available daytime feeding on H. aristata. We revealed the energetic gain-expenditure balance of the studied visitor species in relation to diurnal changes in nectar quality and quantity. In general, smaller energy requirements and related ability to utilise smaller resources made the main pollinator X. caffra competitively superior to the larger nectar thief C. reichenowi. Nevertheless, sunbirds are endowed with several mechanisms to reduce asymmetry in exploitative competition, such as the use of nectar resources in times of the day when rivals are inactive, aggressive attacks on carpenter bees while defending the nectar plants, and higher speed of nectar consumption.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GJ16-11164Y" target="_blank" >GJ16-11164Y: Structure and specialization of pollination networks along a tropical altitudinal gradient: a path to understanding biodiversity evolution</a><br>

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2017

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Oecologia

ISSN

0029-8549

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

183

Issue of the periodical within the volume

4

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

10

Pages from-to

1111-1120

UT code for WoS article

000398563100018

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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