Nectar robbery by a hermit hummingbird: association to floral phenotype and its influence on flowers and network structure

Oecologia
Pietro K MaruyamaMarlies Sazima

Abstract

Interactions between flowers and their visitors span the spectrum from mutualism to antagonism. The literature is rich in studies focusing on mutualism, but nectar robbery has mostly been investigated using phytocentric approaches focused on only a few plant species. To fill this gap, we studied the interactions between a nectar-robbing hermit hummingbird, Phaethornis ruber, and the array of flowers it visits. First, based on a literature review of the interactions involving P. ruber, we characterized the association of floral larceny to floral phenotype. We then experimentally examined the effects of nectar robbing on nectar standing crop and number of visits of the pollinators to the flowers of Canna paniculata. Finally, we asked whether the incorporation of illegitimate interactions into the analysis affects plant-hummingbird network structure. We identified 97 plant species visited by P. ruber and found that P. ruber engaged in floral larceny in almost 30% of these species. Nectar robbery was especially common in flowers with longer corolla. In terms of the effect on C. paniculata, the depletion of nectar due to robbery by P. ruber was associated with decreased visitation rates of legitimate pollinators. At the community le...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Oct 18, 2015·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Jeferson Vizentin-BugoniMarlies Sazima
Dec 3, 2015·Anais Da Academia Brasileira De Ciências·Lorena C N FonsecaMaria Alice S Alves
Mar 24, 2020·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Juannan ZhouCharles B Fenster
May 8, 2019·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Rohit NaniwadekarHari Sridhar
Mar 5, 2020·Ecology and Evolution·Štěpán JanečekFrancis Luma Ewome
Oct 4, 2017·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Alicia Montesinos-NavarroGuillermo Blanco

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