Flowers in the cities: effects of spatial distance on incidence and intensity of florivory by insects

Abstract

Abstract Spatio-temporal variation in the quantity and quality of resources available to insects influence the strength and direction of interactions with plants, ultimately affecting the preference of insects and also plant performance. Florivory encompasses the consumption of floral resources and has both direct and indirect effects on plant reproduction and performance. In this study, we evaluated how synchronic flowering of phylogenetic-related plant species blooming in an urban landscape affected insect florivores. Flowers from six plant species belonging to the Bignoniaceae family were sampled and florivory was measured as the frequency of attacked flowers (florivory incidence) as well as the amount of floral area removed (florivory intensity). We detected species-specific variation in florivory incidence and intensity in the urban landscape and our spatial analysis indicated that plants that were close (< 200 m apart) and in simultaneous blooming had significantly correlated levels of florivory than plants that were far apart (almost 1 km). Our data indicates complex relationships between insects and flowers and we suggest that a throughout evaluation of insect community and dispersal ability is necessary to understand the patterns of florivory in trees, as well as its effects on plant reproduction and insect attraction.

Keywords

• florivores
• insects
• insect-plant interactions
• flower damage
• negative interactions.