Sidhu, C. Sheena

Wilson Rankin, Erin

English

Sydney eScholarship

 OR100 Pollinator harassment by invasive ants alters floral utilization by bees Erin Wilson Rankin, C. Sheena Sidhu   Harassment of pollinators at floral resources influences both plants and their pollinators. In dry or drought conditions, pollinators may be particularly sensitive to disruption of the plant-pollinator mutualism because of limited resource availability. Here, we examined pollinator harassment by invasive ants on blooming succulents (Aloe spp) under drought conditions in southern California. In such dry areas, aloe and other blooming succulents serve as valuable resources, especially early in the year when few other plants are blooming. The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is one of the most detrimental invasive ants and is known to disrupt pollination services. While invasion impacts on plant-pollinator mutualisms have received increasing attention in recent years, our understanding of their impact on the pollinators themselves is incomplete. The presence of these invasive ants on aloe flowers led to an alteration of honeybee (Apis mellifera) foraging behavior and a decrease in resource collection. To quantify the effects of Argentine ants on bee foraging behavior, we manipulated ant density in aloe flowers and observed subsequent bee foraging behavior and resource collection. Ant occupation within the flower had strong negative effects on the number of bees landing on and handling the flower. Interestingly, ant activity outside the flower had no effect on bee visitation or resource collection. The duration of floral visits increased three-fold when ants were excluded. Furthermore, by isolating the chemical and visual cues of foraging ants and explicitly manipulating nectar levels, we quantified the contributions of exploitative and interference competition to harassment. Further research is needed to assess how resource limitation due to pollinator harassment may interact with drought and drought-induced stresses as these factors have important implications for bee health.

Pollinator harassment by invasive ants alters floral utilization by bees

https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/11177/2/OR100.pdf

Pollinator harassment by invasive ants alters floral utilization by bees

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