Belowground competition induced by a wind-pollinated species influences attractiveness of an insect-pollinated plant, S. alba, to wild pollinators.
Floriane Flacher  1, *@  , Amandine Hansart  2@  , Benoît Geslin  3@  , Isabelle Dajoz  4@  , Xavier Raynaud  1@  
1 : Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris  (IEES)  -  Website
Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) - Paris VI, CNRS : UMR7618, Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR242, Université Paris VII - Paris Diderot, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne (UPEC)
7 Quai St Bernard - Bâtiment A - 7e étage 75005 Paris -  France
2 : CEREEP Ecotron Ile-de-France
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris - ENS Paris, CNRS : UMS3194
3 : Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale  (IMBE)
CNRS : UMR7263
Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Avignon Université Pôle St Jérôme av. Escadrille N. Niemen 13397 Marseille cedex 20 -  France
4 : Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris  (IEES)  -  Website
Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) - Paris VI, CNRS : UMR7618, Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR242, Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne (UPEC)
7 quai St Bernard - Bâtiment A - 7e étage 75005 PARIS -  France
* : Corresponding author

Plant traits related to attractiveness to pollinators (e.g. flowers, nectar) can be sensitive to abiotic or biotic conditions such as soil nutrient availability or interactions between plant species. Especially, competitive interactions induced by the presence of wind-pollinated species, which are almost never taken into account in plant-pollinator networks, can have a negative influence on both flower and nectar traits. However, the impact of such competitive interactions between plants on wild pollinators has never been investigated to our knowledge. We set up a field experiment in which we confronted an insect-pollinated species, Sinapis alba, to belowground competition with a wind-pollinated plant, Holcus lanatus. Flower and nectar production of S. alba were measured as well as pollinator visits. Fruits and seeds were also studied to assess the fecundity of S. alba. Belowground competition induced by H. lanatus had a negative effect on daily floral display size, daily and total flower production. However, daily nectar traits were not affected. The time to first visit as well as the total number of pollinator visits received at the plot level and at the plant level were negatively influenced by belowground competition, with a correlation to floral traits. Moreover, the fecundity ratio (fertilized ovules / total ovules) of S.alba decreased in presence of belowground competition. This study 1) demonstrates that pollination networks may be modulated by competitive interactions between plants, even with non insect-pollinated species and 2) stresses the importance of studying the whole plant community when working on plant-pollinator interactions.


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