Bee visitors of Centaurea solstitialis L. (Asteraceae) in an urban environment in northwestern Turkey

Bee visitors of Centaurea solstitialis L. (Asteraceae) in an urban environment in northwestern Turkey

Information on the pollination ecology and floral visitors of the noxious weed Centaurea solstitialis is available for several populations in its invasive range, but limited information is available in its native range, with most studies conducted on the Greek island of Lesvos. Herein, we document t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arthropod-plant interactions Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 403 - 409
Main Authors: Gonzalez, Victor H., Olsen, Alena, Mallula, Maija, Tosunoglu, Aycan, Çakmak, Ibrahim, Hranitz, John, Barthell, John
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-06-2017
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Bees
Behavioral Sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Body size
Centaurea solstitialis
Ecology
Entomology
Forage
Foraging behavior
Invertebrates
Life Sciences
Loads (forces)
Nectar
Original Paper
Plant Pathology
Plant Sciences
Plant species
Pollen
Pollination
Populations
Species
Standing crop
Urban environments
Weeds
Turkey
Noxious weed
Yellow star-thistle
Nectar standing crop
Body size
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Summary:Information on the pollination ecology and floral visitors of the noxious weed Centaurea solstitialis is available for several populations in its invasive range, but limited information is available in its native range, with most studies conducted on the Greek island of Lesvos. Herein, we document the visitation pattern of bees and explore the relationship of bee body size and nectar availability in weedy populations of C. solstitialis from an urban environment within its native range in northwestern Turkey. Studies were conducted at patches of C. solstitialis in abandoned lots at the Uludağ University near the city of Bursa. A total of 41 species, including honey bees, belonging to five families and 19 genera were recorded. Small megachilid and halictid bee species were the most common visitors. Average nectar standing crop volume per floret was low (0.003–0.117 μL) and did not significantly vary throughout the day. Average bee head width significantly correlated with average nectar standing crop volume but did not significantly change throughout the day. Analyses of pollen loads as well as direct observations of bee foraging behavior indicate that a large number of bees visit C. solstitialis, primarily in search of nectar while carrying a large percentage of pollen grains of this plant species on their bodies. These results are similar to previous observations on a non-weedy population of C. solstitialis from the island of Lesvos.
ISSN:1872-8855
1872-8847
DOI:10.1007/s11829-017-9526-4