Honeybees and Pollen as Indicators of Alien Plant Species in Two Native Forest Ecosystems of an Oceanic Island (La Palma, Canary Islands)
نویسندگان
چکیده
Apis mellifera L. is a generalist pollinator present in most of the Canary Islands. When foraging, honeybees transfer pollen grains to honey, and presence and abundance of pollen from different species can be interpreted as a sign of local flora, and a cue to spread of aliens. The relative use of alien vs native species by honeybees could influence island pollination mutualisms and/or favour alien species. Analyzing pollen content data from honey samples an approach can be made to the relative foraging intensity on different plant communities and identify the importance of alien plant species in
منابع مشابه
Plant invasion and speciation along elevational gradients on the oceanic island La Palma, Canary Islands
Ecosystems that provide environmental opportunities but are poor in species and functional richness generally support speciation as well as invasion processes. These processes are expected not to be equally effective along elevational gradients due to specific ecological, spatial, and anthropogenic filters, thus controlling the dispersal and establishment of species. Here, we investigate specia...
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