Abstract Detail

Studying Plant Pollinator Interactions in Changing Environments: Approaches, Lessons and Future Directions

Byers, Diane L [1], Chang, Shumei [2].

Studying plant pollinator interactions in changing environments: approaches, lessons and future directions, a formal review.

The interactions between plant communities and their diverse pollinators are key for the reproductive success of plants and nutrition for pollinators. However, environmental changes including declines in habitat quality (loss, fragmentation, and degradation), invasive species and climate change could be jeopardizing these critical interactions. Ecologists have long known that species interactions can be context dependent. Now as these conditions are rapidly changing, will the interactions be altered or even broken? Thus it is imperative to assess if and how the dynamics of these interactions may have been impacted over time. To do so, researchers need to develop creative methods to determine how these interactions may have changed thus far and may be changing in the future. Here, we review the literature on the approaches that are being used to quantify potential changes in these interactions. Using a series of keywords, we have searched major databases (e.g. Web of Science) as well as directly searching within key journals to identify relevant studies. We have organized the assessments into three general approaches. First, historical, where researchers have used information such as collections (plant and pollinators), photos, and in rare cases historic data to determine the patterns in the past. Second, observational, where researchers use current data sets or comparative methods such as assessment of interactions or diversity within different size habitats to document the current patterns. Third, experimental, where researchers have directly altered the environmental conditions, such as warming studies, followed by assessment of the plant –pollinator dynamics to determine responses to direct environmental changes. We compare the strengths and limitations of all these approaches and highlight how the understanding gained from them collectively will give us comprehensive insight to what we might expect in the future.

1 - Illinois State University, Department Of Biological Sciences, CAMPUS BOX 4120, NORMAL, IL, 61790-4120, USA
2 - University Of Georgia, Plant Biology, 2502 Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

Keywords:
plant-pollinator interactions
climate change
habitat fragmentation
invasive plants
environmental change
Review
methods.

Presentation Type: Symposium Presentation
Session: SY08, Studying plant pollinator interactions in changing environments: approaches, lessons and future directions
Location: Chatham Ballroom - C/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016
Time: 1:45 PM
Number: SY08002
Abstract ID:225
Candidate for Awards:None