Nectar dwelling yeasts and their effects on pollinator preference

Abstract

Pollinators are extremely important in the global ecosystem. Flowers have evolved attractive traits in order to draw these pollinators. Traits like colorful petals draw in pollinators to metabolic rewards such as nectar and pollen, and in return, pollinators transfer pollen between plants. Plants with better attractants or rewards are more likely to draw in more pollinators and thus are most likely to reproduce. Microorganisms have been found inside of the floral reward nectar that may skew the plant-pollinator reactions. This study looked at the distribution of nectar inhabiting yeasts in the floral nectar of the perennial herb Delphinium barbeyi, and pollinator reactions to those yeasts. This study found that pollinators are most likely the vectors for the transportation of nectar dwelling yeasts in the tall larkspur, and that D. barbeyi is unable to regulate the yeast concentration in its floral nectar. Finally, the results of nectar removal experiments, where either a sucrose solution or a yeast and sucrose solution was injected directly into the nectar spurs of the D. barbeyi flowers, showed that pollinators had no preference to yeasty nectar versus a sucrose control. Understanding how microbes in floral nectar effect plant-pollinator interactions is important in better understanding the evolutionary traits of flowering plants as well as the patterns behind pollinator preferences.

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References (11)

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