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dc.contributor.authorWillmer, Patricia Gillian
dc.contributor.authorFinlayson, Kathryn
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-24T14:10:02Z
dc.date.available2015-09-24T14:10:02Z
dc.date.issued2014-09
dc.identifier162433236
dc.identifier7d0df95d-9c84-4456-8679-ab0c67f0ddbc
dc.identifier.citationWillmer , P G & Finlayson , K 2014 , ' Big bees do a better job : intraspecific size variation influences pollination effectiveness ' , Journal of Pollination Ecology , vol. 14 , no. 23 , pp. 244-254 .en
dc.identifier.issn1920-7603
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/7535
dc.descriptionFunding: School of Biology, University of St Andrewsen
dc.description.abstractBumblebees (Bombus spp.) are efficient pollinators of many flowering plants, yet the pollen deposition performance of individual bees has not been investigated. Worker bumblebees exhibit large intraspecific and intra-nest size variation, in contrast with other eusocial bees; and their size influences collection and deposition of pollen grains. Laboratory studies with B. terrestris workers and Vinca minor flowers showed that pollen grains deposited on stigmas in single visits (SVD) were significantly positively related to bee size; larger bees deposited more grains, while the smallest individuals, with proportionally shorter tongues, were unable to collect or deposit pollen in these flowers. Individuals did not increase their pollen deposition over time, so handling experience does not influence SVD in Vinca minor. Field studies using Geranium sanguineum and Echium vulgare, and multiple visiting species, confirmed that individual size affects SVD. All bumblebee species showed size effects, though even the smallest individuals did deposit pollen, whereas there was no detectable effect with Apis with its limited size variation. Two abundant hoverfly species also showed size effects, particularly when feeding for nectar. Mean size of foragers also varied diurnally, with larger individuals active earlier and later, so that pollination effectiveness varies through a day; flowers routinely pollinated by bees may best be served by early morning dehiscence and visits from larger individuals. Thus, while there are well-documented species-level variations in pollination effectiveness, the fine-scale individual differences between foragers should also be taken into account when assessing the reproductive outputs of biotically-pollinated plants.
dc.format.extent11
dc.format.extent615315
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Pollination Ecologyen
dc.subjectPollinatoren
dc.subjectPollen depositionen
dc.subjectBumblebeeen
dc.subjectBody sizeen
dc.subjectIntraspecific variationen
dc.subjectQH301 Biologyen
dc.subject.lccQH301en
dc.titleBig bees do a better job : intraspecific size variation influences pollination effectivenessen
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. School of Biologyen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Instituteen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciencesen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. St Andrews Sustainability Instituteen
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.identifier.urlhttp://www.pollinationecology.org/index.php?journal=jpe&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=301en


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