Impact of alien rats and honeybees on the reproductive success of an ornithophilous endemic plant in Canarian thermosclerophyllous woodland relicts

Jaca, Julia; Rodríguez, Noemí; Nogales, Manuel; Traveset, Anna

doi:10.1007/s10530-019-02040-7

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Our study is one of a handful that looks at the effect of non-native invasive organisms on pollinator effectiveness (e.g. Sinu et al, 2017;Maruyama et al, 2018;Jaca et al, 2019b). Here, pollination effectiveness of vertebrate pollinators appeared to be compromised by the presence of invasive non-native ants, shown by the decrease of flower visitation rates in presence of ants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Pollination effectiveness of specialist and opportunistic nectar feeders influenced by invasive alien ants in the Seychelles

Fuster

Kaiser‐Bunbury

Traveset

2020

American J of Botany

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PREMISE: Opportunistic nectar-feeders may act as effective pollinators; nonetheless, we still lack information on whether these opportunistic species differ in their pollination effectiveness from specialized nectarivorous vertebrates and insects. Many nectar specialists have coevolved with the plants on which they feed; therefore, we would expect higher pollination effectiveness in specialists than in opportunistic feeders. Here, we assessed quantity and quality components of pollination effectiveness in specialist and opportunistic vertebrate nectarivores and insects, focusing on three plants from the Seychelles, Thespesia populnea, Polyscias crassa and Syzygium wrightii. METHODS:We determined the quantity component of pollination effectiveness (QNC) with pollinator observations, and the quality component (QLC) by measuring fruit and seed set resulting from single visits by each pollinator. To detect potential negative effects of invasive ants on native plant-pollinator interactions, we classified pollinator visits (quantity component) as disturbed (> 6 ants/30 min) vs. undisturbed. RESULTS:All focal plants were visited by insects and vertebrate specialist and opportunist nectarivores, yet their pollination effectiveness differed. Flying insects were the most effective pollinators of T. populnea. The other two plants were most effectively pollinated by vertebrates; i.e., sunbirds (nectar specialists) in S. wrightii and Phelsuma geckos (nectar opportunists) in P. crassa, despite marked variation in QNC and QLC. Ant presence was associated with lower pollinator visitation rate in P. crassa and S. wrightii. CONCLUSIONS:Our study highlights the importance of all pollinator guilds, including opportunist nectarivorous vertebrates as pollinators of island plants, and the vulnerability of such interactions to disruption by non-native species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Pollination effectiveness of specialist and opportunistic nectar feeders influenced by invasive alien ants in the Seychelles

Fuster

Kaiser‐Bunbury

Traveset

2020

American J of Botany

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“…Whether or not rats visit frequently enough to compete with birds for nectar, and if rats can function as effective pollinators of mountain flax, are intriguing questions that require more intensive study. Rats consume a wide variety of plant materials, including flowers (Campbell 1978;Jaca et al 2019) and nectar (Pattemore & Wilcove 2012), and are often recognised by the destruction they leave in their wake. However, across all recorded observations the rat(s) appeared to consume the nectar and move across the inflorescences without gnawing or breaking off the flowers or the stalks, which is consistent with previous observations of rat visitation to native New Zealand plants (Pattemore & Wilcove 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Predator populations should decrease following depletion of the mast-seed resource, yet switching to alternative resources may contribute to sustaining their population size. Specifically, there is limited evidence of invasive rats consuming native flowers (Baker & Allen 1978;Campbell 1978;Jaca et al 2019) and nectar (Pattemore & Wilcove 2012). Nectar is a calorific resource, which could help supplement omnivorous predators' diets during lean times.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive rats consuming mountain flax nectar – resource competitors and possible pollinators?

Donald¹,

Dhami²

2022

NZJE

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The long history of human-mediated species introductions has resulted in a multitude of novel interactions around the globe. Many of these interactions have been to the detriment of native species. In New Zealand, the ship rat (Rattus rattus) is considered culpable for the rapid declines in the populations of numerous bird species. While seed masts have been implicated in rat population booms, alternative food resources, such as floral nectar, may play an underappreciated role in rat-bird interactions. Here, we present video footage and nectar volume data that indicate likely resource competition between rats and birds for floral nectar. Additionally, this footage indicates possible pollination services by rats. These findings suggest that attention should be paid to nectar as a limited resource that may bolster rat populations, as well as attract rats for pollination services.

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Infestation by pollination-disrupting alien ants varies temporally and spatially and is worsened by alien plant invasion

2020

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Impact of alien rats and honeybees on the reproductive success of an ornithophilous endemic plant in Canarian thermosclerophyllous woodland relicts

Cited by 4 publications

References 70 publications

Pollination effectiveness of specialist and opportunistic nectar feeders influenced by invasive alien ants in the Seychelles

Pollination effectiveness of specialist and opportunistic nectar feeders influenced by invasive alien ants in the Seychelles

Invasive rats consuming mountain flax nectar – resource competitors and possible pollinators?

Infestation by pollination-disrupting alien ants varies temporally and spatially and is worsened by alien plant invasion

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