G. L. Stebbins' most effective pollinator principle states that when pollinators are not limiting, plants are expected to specialize and adapt to the most abundant and effective pollinator species available. In this study, ...

© 2018 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. G. L. Stebbins' most effective pollinator principle states that when pollinators are not limiting, plants are expected to specialize and adapt to ...

The diversity and abundance of wild insect pollinators have declined in many agricultural landscapes. Whether such declines reduce crop yields, or are mitigated by managed pollinators such as honey bees, is unclear. We ...

Previous studies have examined separately how pollinator generalization and abundance influence plant reproductive success, but none so far has evaluated simultaneously the relative importance of these pollinator attributes. Here we evaluated the extent to which pollinator generalization and abundance influence plant reproductive success per visit and at the population level on a generalist plant, Opuntia sulphurea (Cactaceae). We used field experiments and path analysis to evaluate whether the per-visit effect is determined by the pollinator?s degree of generalization, and whether the population level effect (pollinator impact) is determined by the pollinator?s degree of generalization and abundance. Based on the models we tested, we concluded that the per-visit effect of a pollinator on plant reproduction was not determined by the pollinators? degree of generalization, while the population-level impact of a pollinator on plant reproduction was mainly determined by the pollinators? degree of generalization. Thus, generalist pollinators have the greatest species impact on pollination and reproductive success of O. sulphurea. According to our analysis this greatest impact of generalist pollinators may be partly explained by pollinator abundance. However, as abundance does not suffice as an explanation of pollinator impact, we suggest that vagility, need for resource consumption, and energetic efficiency of generalist pollinators may also contribute to determine a pollinator?s impact on plant reproduction....

The rate of pollen exchange within and among flowers may depend on pollinator attraction traits such as floral display size and flowering plant density. Variations in these traits may influence pollinator movements, pollen ...

The effect of a pollinator species on a plant depends on their interaction frequency and the pollinator's effectiveness. The role of ants as pollinators is highly variable, in some cases they act as true pollinators and ...

Variation in flower color, particularly polymorphism, in which two or more different flower color phenotypes occur in the same population or species, may be affected or maintained by mechanisms that depend on pollinators. ...

Pollination syndromes lead to questions concerning the role of different suites of pollinators on the pollination success of plants. Escallonia myrtoidea exhibits floral traits associated with pollination by diurnal ...

Eschweilera nana is pollinated by a guild of pollinators consisting of mostly bees. Effective pollinators are large bees able to force their way into the closed androecium to access nectar. The morphology of the flowers ...