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Wang LL, Ren F, Zhang C, Huang XJ, Zhang ZH, He JS, Yang YP, Duan YW. The effects of changes in flowering plant composition caused by nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment on plant-pollinator interactions in a Tibetan alpine grassland. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:964109. [PMID: 35958212 PMCID: PMC9358526 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.964109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Soil eutrophication from atmospheric deposition and fertilization threatens biodiversity and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Increases in soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content can alter the biomass and structure of plant communities in grassland ecosystems; however, the impact of these changes on plant-pollinator interactions is not yet clear. In this study, we tested how changes in flowering plant diversity and composition due to N and P enrichment affected pollinator communities and pollination interactions. Our experiments, conducted in a Tibetan alpine grassland, included four fertilization treatments: N (10 g N m-2 year-1), P (5 g P m-2 year-1), a combination of N and P (N + P), and control. We found that changes in flowering plant composition and diversity under the N and P treatments did not alter the pollinator richness or abundance. The N and P treatments also had limited effects on the plant-pollinator interactions, including the interaction numbers, visit numbers, plant and pollinator species dissimilarity, plant-pollinator interaction dissimilarity, average number of pollinator species attracted by each plant species (vulnerability), and average number of plant species visited by each pollinator species (generality). However, the N + P treatment increased the species and interaction dissimilarity in flowering plant and pollinator communities and decreased the generality in plant-pollinator interactions. These data highlight that changes in flowering plants caused by N + P enrichment alter pollination interactions between flowering plants and pollinators. Owing to changes in flowering plant communities, the plant-pollinator interactions could be sensitive to the changing environment in alpine regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Lin Wang
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at Kunming, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Fei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Chan Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen-Hua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Haibei Alpine Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Jin-Sheng He
- Department of Ecology, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yong-Ping Yang
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at Kunming, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Yuan-Wen Duan
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at Kunming, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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Byers DL. Studying plant-pollinator interactions in a changing climate: A review of approaches. APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES 2017; 5:apps.1700012. [PMID: 28690933 PMCID: PMC5499306 DOI: 10.3732/apps.1700012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plant-pollinator interactions are potentially at risk due to climate change. Because of the spatial and temporal variation associated with the effects of climate change and the responses of both actors, research to assess this interaction requires creative approaches. This review focuses on assessments of plants' and pollinators' altered phenology in response to environmental changes, as phenology is one of the key responses. I reviewed research methods with the goal of presenting the wide diversity of available techniques for addressing changes in these interactions. Approaches ranged from use of historical specimens to multisite experimental community studies; while differing in depth of historical information and community interactions, all contribute to assessment of phenology changes. Particularly insightful were those studies that directly assessed the environmental changes across spatial and temporal scales and the responses of plants and pollinators at these scales. Longer-term studies across environmental gradients, potentially with reciprocal transplants, enable an assessment of climate impacts at both scales. While changes in phenology are well studied, the impacts of phenology changes are not. Future research should include approaches to address this gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane L. Byers
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4120, Normal, Illinois 61790-4120 USA
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