Effects of small-scale clustering of flowers on pollinator foraging behaviour and flower visitation rate

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F17%3A00481628" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/17:00481628 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60076658:12310/17:43895651

Result on the web

<a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0187976" target="_blank" >http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0187976</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187976" target="_blank" >10.1371/journal.pone.0187976</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Effects of small-scale clustering of flowers on pollinator foraging behaviour and flower visitation rate

Original language description

Plants often grow in clusters of various sizes and have a variable number of flowers per inflorescence. This small-scale spatial clustering affects insect foraging strategies and plant reproductive success. In our study, we aimed to determine how visitation rate and foraging behaviour of pollinators depend on the number of flowers per plant and on the size of clusters of multiple plants using Dracocephalum moldavica (Lamiaceae) as a target species. We measured flower visitation rate by observations of insects visiting single plants and clusters of plants with different numbers of flowers. Detailed data on foraging behaviour within clusters of different sizes were gathered for honeybees, Apis mellifera, the most abundant visitor of Dracocephalum in the experiments. We found that the total number of flower visitors increased with the increasing number of flowers on individual plants and in larger clusters, but less then proportionally. Although individual honeybees visited more flowers in larger clusters, they visited a smaller proportion of flowers, as has been previously observed. Consequently, visitation rate per flower and unit time peaked in clusters with an intermediate number of flowers. These patterns do not conform to expectations based on optimal foraging theory and the ideal free distribution model. We attribute this discrepancy to incomplete information about the distribution of resources. Detailed observations and video recordings of individual honeybees also showed that the number of flowers had no effect on handling time of flowers by honeybees. We evaluated the implications of these patterns for insect foraging biology and plant reproduction.

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

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2017

Confidentiality

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

Name of the periodical

PLoS ONE

ISSN

1932-6203

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

12

Issue of the periodical within the volume

11

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

000415121200053

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85033771617