Heterogeneity among floral visitors leads to discordance between removal and deposition of pollen
Abstract
Flowers are often visited by many species of animals. \nThese sometimes differ in size, behavior, and other \ncharacteristics that translate into differences in their effectiveness as pollinators. The differences \nmay be manifest in their effect on reproductive \nsuccess either through female or through male function. A number of recent studies have measured \npollen removal as a component of male function however, high pollen removal need not result in high \nsubsequent deposition of the removed pollen or in high \nsuccess at siring seeds. Here we provide an example in \nwhich pollen-collecting bees remove more pollen but \ndeposit less of it than nectar-collecting bees. The pollen \ncollectors are antagonists with regard to the male reproductive success of the plants, at least relative to the \nmore beneficent nectar collectors. Our results underscore \nthe need to study pollen deposition in conjunction \nwith pollen removal.
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