The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success
Plants and their interaction partners offer unparalleled views of evolutionary ecology. Nectar larceny, entailing nectar extraction without pollinating, is thought to be an example of a harmful, antagonistic behavior, but the precise consequences of floral larceny on plant reproductive success remai...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Plant Diversity |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265924001987 |
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| author | Jin-Ru Zhong Xiao-Fang Jin Michael C. Orr Xiao-Qing Li Yong-Deng He Sheng-Wei Wang Qing-Feng Wang Chun-Feng Yang Zhong-Ming Ye |
| author_facet | Jin-Ru Zhong Xiao-Fang Jin Michael C. Orr Xiao-Qing Li Yong-Deng He Sheng-Wei Wang Qing-Feng Wang Chun-Feng Yang Zhong-Ming Ye |
| author_sort | Jin-Ru Zhong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plants and their interaction partners offer unparalleled views of evolutionary ecology. Nectar larceny, entailing nectar extraction without pollinating, is thought to be an example of a harmful, antagonistic behavior, but the precise consequences of floral larceny on plant reproductive success remain contentious. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 153 studies across 120 plant species, using 14 moderators to assess the effects of floral larceny on plant reproductive success and examine the key moderators. We found that floral larceny negatively impacts flower traits, pollinator visitation, pollen deposition, and fruit set, while having a neutral effect on critical female fitness indicators, such as seed set and seed quality, as well as on male fitness. By altering pollinator behavior, floral larceny may reduce geitonogamy, potentially enhancing genetic diversity. Additionally, factors such as pollinator type, plant mating system, and pollen limitation were identified as key moderators of these effects. Our analysis reveals an ultimately neutral effect of floral larceny on plant reproductive success, with potential benefits in certain contexts. These findings suggest that floral larceny plays a complex and multifaceted role within plant-pollinator interactions, facilitating the evolutionary stability and coexistence of floral larcenists and host plants. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a7c05007f85942ca8063cb07e6fd4d71 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2468-2659 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plant Diversity |
| spelling | doaj-art-a7c05007f85942ca8063cb07e6fd4d712025-02-12T05:31:35ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Plant Diversity2468-26592025-01-01471148158The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive successJin-Ru Zhong0Xiao-Fang Jin1Michael C. Orr2Xiao-Qing Li3Yong-Deng He4Sheng-Wei Wang5Qing-Feng Wang6Chun-Feng Yang7Zhong-Ming Ye8College of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaCollege of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaEntomologie, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Stuttgart 70191, Germany; Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Corresponding author.Plants and their interaction partners offer unparalleled views of evolutionary ecology. Nectar larceny, entailing nectar extraction without pollinating, is thought to be an example of a harmful, antagonistic behavior, but the precise consequences of floral larceny on plant reproductive success remain contentious. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 153 studies across 120 plant species, using 14 moderators to assess the effects of floral larceny on plant reproductive success and examine the key moderators. We found that floral larceny negatively impacts flower traits, pollinator visitation, pollen deposition, and fruit set, while having a neutral effect on critical female fitness indicators, such as seed set and seed quality, as well as on male fitness. By altering pollinator behavior, floral larceny may reduce geitonogamy, potentially enhancing genetic diversity. Additionally, factors such as pollinator type, plant mating system, and pollen limitation were identified as key moderators of these effects. Our analysis reveals an ultimately neutral effect of floral larceny on plant reproductive success, with potential benefits in certain contexts. These findings suggest that floral larceny plays a complex and multifaceted role within plant-pollinator interactions, facilitating the evolutionary stability and coexistence of floral larcenists and host plants.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265924001987Floral larcenyNectar robbingNectar thiefPlant-pollinator interactionsPlant reproductive successIndirect effects |
| spellingShingle | Jin-Ru Zhong Xiao-Fang Jin Michael C. Orr Xiao-Qing Li Yong-Deng He Sheng-Wei Wang Qing-Feng Wang Chun-Feng Yang Zhong-Ming Ye The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success Plant Diversity Floral larceny Nectar robbing Nectar thief Plant-pollinator interactions Plant reproductive success Indirect effects |
| title | The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success |
| title_full | The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success |
| title_fullStr | The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success |
| title_full_unstemmed | The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success |
| title_short | The ethics of theft: Reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success |
| title_sort | ethics of theft reevaluating the impacts of floral larceny on plant reproductive success |
| topic | Floral larceny Nectar robbing Nectar thief Plant-pollinator interactions Plant reproductive success Indirect effects |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265924001987 |
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