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Nectar volume is positively correlated with flower size in hummingbird-visited flowers in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2016

Davi Castro Tavares ,
Leandro Freitas  and
Maria Cristina Gaglianone
Davi Castro Tavares*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
Leandro Freitas
Affiliation:
Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Maria Cristina Gaglianone
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
*
1Corresponding author. Email: wetlandbirdsbrazil@gmail.com
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Abstract:

We studied the relationship between flower size and nectar properties of hummingbird-visited flowers in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We analysed the nectar volume and concentration as a function of corolla length and the average bill size of visitors for 150 plant species, using the phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) to control for phylogenetic signals in the data. We found that nectar volume is positively correlated with corolla length due to phylogenetic allometry. We also demonstrated that larger flowers provide better rewards for long-billed hummingbirds. Regardless of the causal mechanisms, our results support the hypothesis that morphological floral traits that drive partitioning among hummingbirds correspond to the quantity of resources produced by the flowers in the Atlantic Forest. We demonstrate that the relationship between nectar properties and flower size is affected by phylogenetic constraints and thus future studies assessing the interaction between floral traits need to control for phylogenetic signals in the data.

Keywords

allometrycorolla lengthnectar sugar concentrationphylogenetic generalized least squaresphylogenetic signalstropical forests
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , July 2016 , pp. 335 - 339
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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