| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1019.96 KB | Adobe PDF |
Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The study of flower visitor behavior and pollen transport dynamics within and between
plants can be of great importance, especially for threatened or rare plant species. In this work, we
aim to assess the flower visitor assemblage of the Madeiran endemic Echium candicans and evaluate
the performance of the most common visitors through the analysis of their foraging behavior and
pollen loads. The flower visitor assemblage of E. candicans is diverse, including several insect groups
and the endemic lizard Teira dugesii, but bees are the most common visitors. In general, large bees
(Amegilla quadrifasciata, Apis mellifera, and Bombus spp.) had the highest average visitation rates
(>18 flowers/min) and their pollen loads had higher percentages of homospecific pollen (>66%)
when compared with butterflies and hoverflies. The honeybee (Apis mellifera) and two bumblebees
(Bombus terrestris and B. ruderatus) were the most efficient flower visitors of E. candicans, but their
foraging behavior seems to favor geitonogamy. Other visitors, such as butterflies and the small bee
Lasioglossum wollastoni, may have a complementary role to the honeybee and bumblebee species, as
their high mobility is associated with fewer flower visits on each plant and may promote xenogamy.
Two non-native bees (A. mellifera and B. ruderatus) are important flower visitors of E. candicans
and may contribute mostly
Description
Keywords
pollination efficiency pollen loads visitation rates island endemic non-native bees
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Esposito, F.; Costa, R.; Boieiro, M. Foraging Behavior and Pollen Transport by Flower Visitors of the Madeira Island Endemic Echium candicans. Insects 2021, 12, 488. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12060488
Publisher
MDPI