Premise of the study. Plants often interact simultaneously with multiple antagonists and mutualists that can alter plant traits at the phenotypic or genetic level, subsequent plant-insect interactions, and reproduction. Although many studies have examined the effects of single floral antagonisms on subsequent pollination and plant reproduction, we know very little about the combined, potentially non-additive effects of multiple flower-insect interactions.
Methods. We simulated increased florivory, nectar robbing, and pollination on field-grown Impatiens capensis. This allowed us to determine interactive effects on five subsequent plant-insect interactions and 16 plant traits, including traits related to plant growth, floral attractiveness, floral defenses, and plant reproduction.
Key results. All three manipulative treatments had significant non-additive effects on the behavior of subsequent floral visitors, indicating that the effect of floral visitors generally depended on the presence or behavior of others. Pollination increased visitation by both pollinators and nectar larcenists (robbers and thieves), while florivory reduced pollinator and larcenist visits. Surprisingly, supplemental pollination also increased leaf herbivory. Florivores often responded to manipulations in opposite ways than did nectar larcenists and pollinators, suggesting different mechanisms influencing visitors that consume nectar compared to floral tissue. While our treatments did not affect any floral trait measured, they non-additively impacted plant reproduction, with florivory having a larger overall impact than either nectar robbing or pollination.
Conclusions. These results emphasize the importance of understanding the context in which flower-insect interactions occur, because the composition of the interacting community can have large and non-additive impacts on subsequent insect behavior and plant reproduction.
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Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Processed_Data
Processed and summarized data used in all analyses. Additional details on data collection and analysis methods can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about this dataset can be found in the README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_R_Code_Analyses
The R code used for all analyses in the project.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Anthocyanin_Data
Raw data on floral anthocyanins. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_CH_Flower_Data
Raw data on chasmogamous flower production. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Condensed_Tannin_Data
Raw data on floral condensed tannins. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Floral_Visitors_Data
Raw data on flower visitation by pollinators, nectar robbers, and nectar thieves. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Florivory_Data
Raw data on florivory of plants. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Flower_Size_Data
Raw data on flower morphometric measurements. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Fruit_Data
Raw data on fruit production. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Growth_Survey_Data
Raw data on measures of plant size, including counts of cleistogamous flowers. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Herbivory_Data
Raw data on herbivory. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Nectar_Data
Raw data on nectar production. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.
Soper_Gorden_Adler_AJB_2018_Flower_Insect_Interactions_Raw_Seed_Data
Raw data on seed numbers and mass. Additional information on data collection methods and analyses can be found in the cited paper. Additional information about the dataset can be found in the associated README file.