Date of Last Revision
2023-05-02 21:51:42
Major
Exercise Science - PrePhysical Therapy
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Winter 2016
Abstract
Competition between plants for pollinators can have serious impacts on plant reproduction; these impacts depend on many factors, such as plant abundance, plant diversity, floral abundance, pollinator abundance, and pollinator preference. The way pollinators move among and between coflowering species can tell us more about how these factors affect competition. In this study, we examine the movement patterns of flower visitors to Mimulus ringens and coflowering species in Northeastern Ohio through several types of observations. In addition, we measured the density and diversity of floral units with 20-30 meter transects across each study site. There were six total study sites, including one site where we collected data six times across a one month period. Our results show that Bombus impatiens, our most commonly observed pollinator, was the species most likely to make inter-species movements between flowers and that in total, pollinators make movements between separate species about 6% of the time. We observed a wide range of specializations, with several species of pollinators showing a tendency to visit one species of flower over the others. Lastly, the types of quantity and type of flowers at each site affected availability and pollinator preference differed at each site accordingly.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Randall Mitchell
First Reader
Chris Chaney
Second Reader
N/A
Recommended Citation
Wuellner, Andrew M., "Pollinator Sharing Between Mimulus ringens and Coflowering Plant Species in Northeastern Ohio" (2016). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 416.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/416
Included in
Behavior and Ethology Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Botany Commons, Plant Breeding and Genetics Commons