Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
± 0.075; for syrphids 0.327 ± 0.043 and 0.113 ± 0.052; in 2004, for bumble bees
0.01 ± 0.005 and 0.58 ± 0.075; for syrphids 0.23 ± 0.055 and 0.18 ± 0.087).
Syrphids mainly visited open flowers whereas bumble bees preferentially visited
tubular flowers (Figure 4). Even though bumble bees can pollinate open flowers
quite efficiently when this is the only plant functional group present (as shown
by the reproductive success, recruitment diversity, and recruitment density of the
open-flower plant treatment in the bumble bee treatment, Figures 2 and 3), they
focus on the tubular-flower group in the mixed plant treatment. In the mixed
pollination treatment, the match between plant and pollinator functional groups
leads to a more homogenous distribution of pollinator visits among plant groups
than in the other pollination treatments. Ultimately, this significantly increases
the reproductive success of plants, most likely through the homogenisation of
pollinator visits and the minimization of inefficient pollinator visits.
Figure 4.
Visitation Web in the Communities with Both Plant Types.
Distribution of pollinator visits for the year 2003, among the six plant species in the plant treatment containing
the two plant functional groups, (A) for the mixed pollination treatment (S + B) and (B) for the single functional
group pollination treatments (S or B). The length of the side of the black squares shows the proportion of visits
by a given pollinator species on each plant species. Lower-case letters represent plant species: a, Ma. officinalis; b,
E. cicutarium; c, R. raphanistrum; d, Mi.guttatus; e, Me. sativa; f, L. corniculatus. Numbers represent pollinator
species: 1, Saephoria sp.; 2, Ep. balteatus; 3, Er. tenax; 4, B. terrestris; 5, B. pascuorum; 6, B. lapidarius.
