The role of plant–pollinator interactions in structuring nectar microbial communities

Vega, Clara de; Álvarez‐Pérez, Sergio; Albaladejo, Rafael G.; Steenhuisen, Sandy–Lynn; Lachance, Marc‐André; Johnson, Steven D.; Herrera, Carlos M.

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13726

Cited by 30 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 111 publications

(206 reference statements)

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“…They are probably nectar/pollen robbers, as they were not observed eating floral organs. However, in a study on microbial communities in flower nectar, de Vega et al (2021) [57] found that plants visited by beetles supported the highest richness and phylogenetic diversity of yeasts, and bacteria communities compared to flowers visited by pollinators like bees. This suggests that the inhabiting of these tiny beetles in flowers may change the nectar attributes, and consequently influence interactions between flowers and their legitimate pollinators.…”

Section: Uncertain Roles Of Flower Visiting Beetlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Flower Visiting Beetles at Higher Elevations on the Yulong Snow Mountain (Yunnan, China)

Ren

2021

Diversity

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Background: Flowers are one of the important microhabitats promoting beetle diversity, but little is known about variation in the diversity of these insects at higher elevations. We do not know how divergent habitats influence the distribution of beetles among montane flora. Methods: We sampled beetles systematically in angiosperm flowers at 12 sites at two elevations (2700 m and 3200 m) and in two habitats (meadows and forests) for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019) on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan, southwestern China. Beetle diversity among sites were compared. Their interactions with flowers of identified plant species were analyzed using bipartite networks approach. Results: We collected 153 species of beetles from 90 plant species recording 3391 interactions. While plant species richness was lower at the higher, 3200 m elevation regardless of habitat type, beetle species richness was not significantly different among sites. Plant-beetle interaction networks were strongly modular and specialized. The structure of networks showed greater differences between elevations than between habitats. The turnover of networks was determined by species composition showing a weak influence by interaction rewiring. Conclusion: Our study showed a high diversity of beetles in flowers at higher elevations within this mountain complex. The role of beetles in plant–insect interactions within some sections of temperate, montane sites appear to be underestimated and warrant further study.

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Section: Uncertain Roles Of Flower Visiting Beetlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Flower Visiting Beetles at Higher Elevations on the Yulong Snow Mountain (Yunnan, China)

Ren

2021

Diversity

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“…Nectar microbes frequently engage in competition for resources, often excluding one another via niche preemption or modification [91]. Despite such documented priority effects [20,23,35] and individual flowers being observed to be dominated by individual species [22], surveys of floral nectar have also revealed frequent co-occurrence of microbes (but see [92]). For example, positive associations have been detected between Metschnikowia yeasts and Acinetobacter bacteria [48] .…”

Section: Current Research and Future Directions On Nectar Microbe Eff...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the health of other invertebrate and vertebrate pollinators (figure 2b) that depend on nectar may also be sensitive to nectar microbes, the chemical changes they induce, and other potential mechanisms discussed. This is especially true given increasing evidence for both the likelihood and frequency for such interactions to occur, as surveys of flowers pollinated by these guilds have revealed that they may harbour abundant and diverse microbial communities [17,92,121]. Among insects, many species in the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera visit flowers to procure nutritive and non-nutritive rewards.…”

Section: (E) Effects Of Nectar Microbes On Lesser-studied Pollinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nectar sugars were not addressed in either of these studies though, with VOCs instead noted to play an important role in attraction. The latter can also probably be said for many angiosperms pollinated by beetles (Coleoptera), whose bouquets are often characterized as being 'yeasty' [134][135][136] with some species having nectar microbiomes dominated by yeasts to match [92]. Careful dissection of the relative contribution of host and microbe to these signals as well as their reliability regarding information on both nectar availability and quality conveyed to visitors should be incorporated into future studies.…”

Section: (E) Effects Of Nectar Microbes On Lesser-studied Pollinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Potential effects of nectar microbes on pollinator health

Martin

Schaeffer

Fukami

2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Floral nectar is prone to colonization by nectar-adapted yeasts and bacteria via air-, rain-, and animal-mediated dispersal. Upon colonization, microbes can modify nectar chemical constituents that are plant-provisioned or impart their own through secretion of metabolic by-products or antibiotics into the nectar environment. Such modifications can have consequences for pollinator perception of nectar quality, as microbial metabolism can leave a distinct imprint on olfactory and gustatory cues that inform foraging decisions. Furthermore, direct interactions between pollinators and nectar microbes, as well as consumption of modified nectar, have the potential to affect pollinator health both positively and negatively. Here, we discuss and integrate recent findings from research on plant–microbe–pollinator interactions and their consequences for pollinator health. We then explore future avenues of research that could shed light on the myriad ways in which nectar microbes can affect pollinator health, including the taxonomic diversity of vertebrate and invertebrate pollinators that rely on this reward. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes’.

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“…Our study system here consists of the bacteria and yeasts that colonize the floral nectar of the sticky monkeyflower, Diplacus (formerly Mimulus ) aurantiacus , a hummingbird-pollinated shrub native to California and Oregon of the USA (Belisle et al ., 2012). Initially sterile, floral nectar in individual flowers is colonized by these microbes via pollinator-mediated dispersal (Belisle et al ., 2012; de Vega et al ., 2021). Microbial communities that develop in nectar though this dispersal are often simple, dominated by a few species of specialist bacteria or yeast (Álvarez-Pérez et al ., 2019; Golonka & Vilgalys, 2013; Herrera et al ., 2010; Tsuji & Fukami, 2018; Warren et al ., 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

pH as an eco-evolutionary driver of priority effects

Chappell

Dhami

Bitter

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Priority effects, where arrival order and initial relative abundance modulate local species interactions, can exert taxonomic, functional, and evolutionary influences on ecological communities by driving them to alternative states. It remains unclear if these wide-ranging consequences of priority effects can be explained systematically by a common underlying factor. Here, we identify such a factor in an empirical system. In a series of field and laboratory studies, we focus on how pH affects nectar-colonizing microbes and their interactions with plants and pollinators. In a field survey, we found that nectar microbial communities in a hummingbird-pollinated shrub, Diplacus aurantiacus, exhibited patterns indicative of alternative stable states through domination by either bacteria or yeasts within individual flowers. In laboratory experiments, Acinetobacter nectaris, the bacterium most commonly found in D. aurantiacus nectar, exerted a strongly negative priority effect against Metschnikowia reukaufii, the most common nectar-specialist yeast, by reducing nectar pH. This priority effect likely explains the mutually exclusive pattern of dominance found in the field survey. Furthermore, experimental evolution simulating hummingbird-assisted dispersal between flowers revealed that M. reukaufii could evolve rapidly to improve resistance against the priority effect if constantly exposed to A. nectaris-induced pH reduction. Finally, in a field experiment, we found that low nectar pH could reduce nectar consumption by hummingbirds, suggesting functional consequences of the pH-driven priority effect for plant reproduction. Taken together, these results show that it is possible to identify an overarching factor that governs the eco-evolutionary dynamics of priority effects across multiple levels of biological organization.

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The role of plant–pollinator interactions in structuring nectar microbial communities

Abstract: This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Cited by 30 publications

References 111 publications

Diversity of Flower Visiting Beetles at Higher Elevations on the Yulong Snow Mountain (Yunnan, China)

Diversity of Flower Visiting Beetles at Higher Elevations on the Yulong Snow Mountain (Yunnan, China)

Potential effects of nectar microbes on pollinator health

pH as an eco-evolutionary driver of priority effects

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