The Effects of Soil Nitrogen Availability on Plant Reproduction and Solitary Bee Behavior
Abstract
Changes in nitrogen availability can alter plant community structure, composition, and abundance as well as higher order interactions. The goal of this study is to investigate the relationships between soil nitrogen, plant reproductive success, and solitary bee behavior and reproduction. Three different nitrogen treatments were applied to plots in subalpine meadows at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. First, comparisons of female plant fitness among the nitrogen treatments were estimated using stigma pollen receipt in Campanula rotundiflora, Helianthella quinquenervis, Lathyrus leucanthus, and Vicia americana. Lathyrus leucanthus received significantly more pollen in plots receiving no nitrogen than in those receiving high or low treatments. Second, pollen transport among the plots was estimated using fluorescent dyes. No relationship was found between nitrogen treatment and frequency of dye/pollen transport. Finally, solitary bee nesting boxes were placed in the field to collect information on solitary bee reproduction and behavior, but were used too infrequently by the bees to provide significant data. Further research is needed to better understand plant-pollinator interactions in this nutrient limited system.
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