Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow
Abstract Many plants have evolved nutrient rewards to attract pollinators to flowers, but most research has focused on the sugar content of floral nectar resources. Concentrations of sodium in floral nectar (a micronutrient in low concentrations in nectar) can vary substantially both among and withi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70026 |
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| author | Ethan VanValkenburg Thiago Gonçalves Souza Nathan J. Sanders Paul CaraDonna |
| author_facet | Ethan VanValkenburg Thiago Gonçalves Souza Nathan J. Sanders Paul CaraDonna |
| author_sort | Ethan VanValkenburg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Many plants have evolved nutrient rewards to attract pollinators to flowers, but most research has focused on the sugar content of floral nectar resources. Concentrations of sodium in floral nectar (a micronutrient in low concentrations in nectar) can vary substantially both among and within co‐occurring species. It is hypothesized that sodium concentrations in floral nectar might play an important and underappreciated role in plant–pollinator interactions, especially because many animals, including pollinators, are sodium limited in nature. Yet, the consequences of variation in sodium concentrations in floral nectar remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigate whether enriching floral nectar with sodium influences the composition, diversity, and frequency of plant–pollinator interactions. We experimentally enriched sodium concentrations in four plant species in a subalpine meadow in Colorado, USA. We found that flowers with sodium‐enriched nectar received more visits from a greater diversity of pollinators throughout the season. Different pollinator species foraged more frequently on flowers enriched with sodium and showed evidence of other changes to foraging behavior, including greater dietary evenness. These findings are consistent with the “salty nectar hypothesis,” providing evidence for the importance of sodium limitation in pollinators and suggesting that even small nectar constituents can shape plant–pollinator interactions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-939138d41c8b4cba9cccf32d82e43fd2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-939138d41c8b4cba9cccf32d82e43fd22025-08-20T02:50:48ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-07-01147n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70026Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadowEthan VanValkenburg0Thiago Gonçalves Souza1Nathan J. Sanders2Paul CaraDonna3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USAInstitute for Global Change Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USADepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USARocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Gothic Colorado USAAbstract Many plants have evolved nutrient rewards to attract pollinators to flowers, but most research has focused on the sugar content of floral nectar resources. Concentrations of sodium in floral nectar (a micronutrient in low concentrations in nectar) can vary substantially both among and within co‐occurring species. It is hypothesized that sodium concentrations in floral nectar might play an important and underappreciated role in plant–pollinator interactions, especially because many animals, including pollinators, are sodium limited in nature. Yet, the consequences of variation in sodium concentrations in floral nectar remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigate whether enriching floral nectar with sodium influences the composition, diversity, and frequency of plant–pollinator interactions. We experimentally enriched sodium concentrations in four plant species in a subalpine meadow in Colorado, USA. We found that flowers with sodium‐enriched nectar received more visits from a greater diversity of pollinators throughout the season. Different pollinator species foraged more frequently on flowers enriched with sodium and showed evidence of other changes to foraging behavior, including greater dietary evenness. These findings are consistent with the “salty nectar hypothesis,” providing evidence for the importance of sodium limitation in pollinators and suggesting that even small nectar constituents can shape plant–pollinator interactions.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70026Bombus spp.community ecologymicronutrientsnetworksplant–pollinator interactionssodium |
| spellingShingle | Ethan VanValkenburg Thiago Gonçalves Souza Nathan J. Sanders Paul CaraDonna Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow Ecology and Evolution Bombus spp. community ecology micronutrients networks plant–pollinator interactions sodium |
| title | Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow |
| title_full | Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow |
| title_fullStr | Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow |
| title_short | Sodium‐enriched nectar shapes plant–pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow |
| title_sort | sodium enriched nectar shapes plant pollinator interactions in a subalpine meadow |
| topic | Bombus spp. community ecology micronutrients networks plant–pollinator interactions sodium |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70026 |
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