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AOBPreview originally published online on July 16, 2007
Annals of Botany 2007 100(3):581-588; doi:10.1093/aob/mcm135
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The Effect of Hummingbird Flower Mites on Nectar Availability of Two Sympatric Heliconia Species in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Denise Dias Da Cruz*, Vanessa Holanda Righetti De Abreu and Monique Van Sluys

Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, IBRAG, Departamento de Ecologia, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

* For correspondence. E-mail denidcruz{at}hotmail.com

Received: 8 March 2007    Returned for revision: 30 April 2007    Accepted: 23 May 2007    Published electronically: 16 July 2007

Background and Aims: Hummingbird flower mites feed and reproduce in flowers of host plants pollinated by hummingbirds, and use the nostrils and bill of the hummingbird to move from plant to plant. These mites compete with the pollinator for the nectar produced by flowers. An investigation was made of the relationship between the pattern of nectar production and the effects of hummingbird flower mites in the flowers of two sympatric species of Heliconia (Heliconiaceae).

Methods: Nectar production was sampled by carrying out two experiments: 2-hour intervals and accumulated nectar. Flowers with and without mites were used in both experiments.

Key Results: Exclusion of mites increased nectar production, especially in accumulated daily production (a maximum of 49 % more nectar). Both Heliconia species had the same pattern of nectar production: a high concentration in the morning, which was progressively reduced as the day passed. This pattern of nectar production coincides with the behaviour of the pollinator, which makes more frequent visits in the morning, as observed in a previous study.

Conclusions: The results suggest that the impact of mites on nectar availability of Heliconia is more important with regard to total volume of nectar producted irrespective of flower longevity. A high variation among individuals in nectar produced in the populations was also observed. Hummingbird flower mites strongly affect availability of nectar for hummingbirds.

Key words: Brazilian Atlantic Forest, hummingbird flower mites, nectar production, Ascidae, nectarivory, Heliconia spathocircinata, Heliconia laneana var. flava


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