Project: Ecological determinants of nectar robbing in pollination networks
Research group: Insect Community Ecology Group
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Relationships between flowering plants and their pollinators is not always an ideal mutualism, nectar robbing is relatively common strategy of some flower visitors. This behaviour comprises stealing of nectar (less commonly also some other flower reward) through an artificial hole in flower without the flower pollination. Although evolutionary aspects of this behaviour were studied in several model pollination systems, its relative importance in the entire communities level has never been quantified and analysed. Simultaneously, it is not known which environmental drivers or community composition aspects stimulate robbing of floral rewards. The main aim of this doctoral thesis will be quantification of nectar robbing in pollination networks in different latitudes (tropics and temperate regions), altitude (elevational gradients) and seasons. It will partly use already collected data from intensive videorecording of pollination systems in Cameroon (Mount Cameroon) and Czech Republic (Krkonose Mts.), own data will be collected as well during the ongoing projects. This will give an exceptional standardised dataset on this asymmetric relationship from different latitudes, altitudes and seasons, allowing analyses of environmental drivers of nectar robbing. Moreover, tropical birds and mammals can substantially support secondary robbing when comparing with temperate ecosystems, but their importance in pollination networks also differ among seasons and elevations. The second part of the project will include experimental manipulations with selected pollination systems to test direct effects of the environmental correlates unveiled by the previous community analyses. Such results will help us to understand networks of pollination relationships and their importance for functioning and evolution of entire communities and ecosystems.
PRIMUS 17/SCI/8, GAČR 18-10781S, GAUK 927116, GAUK 356217
The above mentioned research grants and the departmental funds available to the supervisor.
Deadline is closed