Effects of early snowmelt and frost on plant-pollinator interactions.
Abstract
As a result of climate change, plants are experiencing shifts in flowering phenology due to early snowmelt, and thus becoming more susceptible to damage from spring frost events. These direct effects of snowmelt and frost on plants can indirectly impact plant- pollinator interactions, yet few studies have examined these indirect effects. At the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, we conducted a series of experiments to answer the following questions: 1) Does variation in the phenology of flowering plants affect pollinator visitation rate? and 2) How do species and community level plant-pollinator responses to early snowmelt and frost damage compare? At our study site, we had 40 2m2 plots assigned to one of four treatment types: 1) early snowmelt and frost, 2) early snowmelt no frost, 3) natural snowmelt and frost, and 4) natural snowmelt and no frost, Pollinator observations were conducted over 8 weeks and visitation rates were compared among treatment type. We found that early snow removal plots had higher pollinator visitation rates. Further, frost treatment had no effect on pollinator visitation rate overall, but affected certain early blooming flower species. Overall, we found that early snowmelt and frost affect plant species differently; some species, and therefore some plant-pollinator interactions, are more resilient to changes in flowering phenology than others.
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References (12)
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