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Density Effects on Competition for Pollination between Two Wetland Plants

Jenkins, Miriam M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1405376639

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Science, University of Akron, Biology.
Sympatric plants that flower in synchrony often share pollinators and may therefore compete for pollination services, a crucial element of their reproductive success. Competition’s influence on reproduction is likely to vary with density, yet this relationship is not well understood especially in the context of natural habitats. Mimulus ringens and Verbena hastata are sympatric, co-flowering wetland plants visited by many of the same pollinating insects, including bumblebees, solitary bees, and butterflies. Thus, they have the potential to compete for the resource of pollination much like they might compete for light and nutrients. I combined an experimental and natural experiment study to investigate whether the density of V. hastata influences the pollination services to M. ringens in its natural habitat. I explored how different V. hastata densities impacted M. ringens stigmatic pollen receipt and seed set, two important factors of pollination and reproductive success. I found no significant effect of V. hastata’s density on M. ringens stigmatic pollen load or seed set in the experimental study, and no significant relationship between these variables in the natural experiment study. Therefore, V. hastata density may not be a determinant of the quantity and quality of pollinator visits to M. ringens. This neutral effect may be due to a number of reasons: 1. The two species share visitors but not pollinators, 2. The pollinators to both species exhibit different foraging behavior/posture, 3. Resource availability is a more important factor influencing M. ringens reproductive success, or 4. M. ringens is pollen-limited at my field sites. Indeed, M. ringens pollen receipt and seed set varied significantly between the 6 wetlands in this study, suggesting that environmental factors may be influential to its pollination. In addition, M. ringens stigmas showed slightly lower pollen load deposition (4951 pollen grains±431 [mean±1SE]) than the mean number of ovules (6000) it produces, suggesting that the populations in this study may indeed be pollen-limited.
Randall Mitchell, Dr. (Advisor)
Gregory Smith, Dr. (Committee Member)
Todd Blackledge, Dr. (Committee Member)
63 p.
Biology; Ecology
pollination wetlands competition Mimulus ringens Verbena hastata

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Jenkins, M. M. (2014). Density Effects on Competition for Pollination between Two Wetland Plants [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1405376639

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jenkins, Miriam. Density Effects on Competition for Pollination between Two Wetland Plants. 2014. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1405376639.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jenkins, Miriam. "Density Effects on Competition for Pollination between Two Wetland Plants." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1405376639

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.