Yeasts in floral nectar: a quantitative survey

Herrera, Carlos M.; Vega, Clara de; Canto, Azucena; Pozo, María I.

doi:10.1093/aob/mcp026

Cited by 225 publications

(265 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Bombus vosnesenskii and Xylocopa micans) may also visit M. aurantiacus flowers. Flowers can persist for approximately 6 -10 days [22] and contain up to 10 ml of nectar [21], in which both yeasts [23] and bacteria frequently attain densities of 10 4 CFUs (colony forming units) per ml, similar to densities reported in other systems [24]. At JRBP, bacterial densities ranged from 0 to 10 4 CFUs per ml, with an average of 350 CFUs per ml among flowers exposed to pollinators (n ¼ 82 flowers).…”

Section: Methods (A) Study Organismssupporting

confidence: 62%

“…Indeed, preliminary results of our ongoing research indicate that the honeybee, Apis mellifera, also prefers yeast-colonized nectar to bacteria-colonized nectar. Moreover, although our study involved only one species each of yeasts and bacteria, M. reukaufii is the dominant yeast species at our field site [23] and commonly found in the nectar of many other plants [24]. Further, Gluconobacter is a member of the acetic acid bacteria, many of which frequently occur in nectar (e.g.…”

Section: (B) Generality Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Because nectar yeasts and bacteria are widespread in many species of flowering plants worldwide, both insect-and vertebrate-pollinated [11,17,23,24], it is possible that our findings apply broadly to many cases of plant -pollinator mutualisms. Indeed, preliminary results of our ongoing research indicate that the honeybee, Apis mellifera, also prefers yeast-colonized nectar to bacteria-colonized nectar.…”

Section: (B) Generality Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nectar bacteria, but not yeast, weaken a plant–pollinator mutualism

2013

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Mutualistic interactions are often subject to exploitation by species that are not directly involved in the mutualism. Understanding which organisms act as such 'third-party' species and how they do so is a major challenge in the current study of mutualistic interactions. Here, we show that even species that appear ecologically similar can have contrasting effects as third-party species. We experimentally compared the effects of nectar-inhabiting bacteria and yeasts on the strength of a mutualism between a hummingbird-pollinated shrub, Mimulus aurantiacus, and its pollinators. We found that the common bacterium Gluconobacter sp., but not the common yeast Metschnikowia reukaufii, reduced pollination success, seed set and nectar consumption by pollinators, thereby weakening the plant-pollinator mutualism. We also found that the bacteria reduced nectar pH and total sugar concentration more greatly than the yeasts did and that the bacteria decreased glucose concentration and increased fructose concentration whereas the yeasts affected neither. These distinct changes to nectar chemistry may underlie the microbes' contrasting effects on the mutualism. Our results suggest that it is necessary to understand the determinants of microbial species composition in nectar and their differential modification of floral rewards to explain the mutual benefits that plants and pollinators gain from each other.

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Section: Methods (A) Study Organismssupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: (B) Generality Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: (B) Generality Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nectar bacteria, but not yeast, weaken a plant–pollinator mutualism

2013

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“…Natural variation in ecologically consequential nectar traits (e.g., sugar and amino acid concentration) not only reflects intrinsic features of plant species and individuals, but also depends on the action of a variety of extrinsic abiotic and biotic factors unrelated to the plants themselves (Corbet 1978, Nicolson et al 2007, Baude et al 2011. One infrequently acknowledged biotic factor potentially altering nectar features is nectardwelling yeasts, which recent studies have shown to abundantly populate animal-pollinated flowers worldwide (Brysch-Herzberg 2004, Herrera et al 2009). Among other effects, nectar yeasts can alter the composition and concentration of sugars and amino acids in nectar, contribute to the emission of floral volatiles, and warm the nectar in relation to the surrounding air (Raguso 2004, Wiens et al 2008, Canto and Herrera 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yeasts in nectar of an early‐blooming herb: sought by bumble bees, detrimental to plant fecundity

Herrera

Pozo

Medrano

2013

Ecology

Self Cite

156

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Through their effects on physicochemical features of floral nectar, nectar‐dwelling yeasts can alter pollinator behavior, but the effect of such changes on pollination success and plant reproduction is unknown. We present results of experiments testing the effects of nectar yeasts on foraging patterns of captive and free‐ranging bumble bees, and also on pollination success and fecundity of the early‐blooming, bumble bee‐pollinated Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae). Under controlled experimental conditions, inexperienced Bombus terrestris workers responded positively to the presence of yeasts in artificial sugar solutions mimicking floral nectar by visiting proportionally more yeast‐containing artificial flowers. Free‐ranging bumble bees also preferred yeast‐containing nectar in the field. Experiments conducted in two different years consistently showed that natural and artificial nectars containing yeasts were more thoroughly removed than nectars without yeasts. Experimental yeast inoculation of the nectar of H. foetidus flowers was significantly associated with reductions in number of pollen tubes in the style, fruit set, seed set, and mass of individual seeds produced. These results provide the first direct evidence to date that nectar yeasts can modify pollinator foraging patterns, pollination success, and the quantity and quality of seeds produced by insect‐pollinated plants.

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“…However, the low fructose concentration in uncovered area can be related with low density of honeybees recorded or low presence of another preferential pollinator of fructose. For some researchers, the pollinators can affect the nectar composition (Canto et al, 2008;Herrera et al, 2009). In Helleborus foetidus, for example, some species of Bombus unchain modifications in sugar composition in nectar reducing the sucrose percentage, and rising the fructose and glucose percentage (Canto et al, 2008).…”

Section: Sugar Concentration In Nectarmentioning

confidence: 99%