A tale of two scents: scent preferences of naïve and experienced pollinators
Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Mounting evidence of pollinator decline and its repercussions on agriculture and plant diversity means that scientists must work to understand the details of plant-pollinator interactions. Though there are many facets to the relationship between plants and pollinators, one major mediator of this relationship is scent. As much is already known about the scent make-up of Narcissus and its pollinator partners, it is a great model system for additional research. This is also true for the insect species Vanessa cardui, a generalist pollinator found worldwide that has most likely come into contact with Narcissus and its scent. The objective of this research was therefore to explore the role of two major compound types found in Narcissus floral scent, linalool and β-ocimene isomers, in the attraction of experienced wild pollinators in the field using scent emitter arrays and naive Vanessa cardui in lab flight cages with scent emitter arrays. Chi-square tests of field data suggest that faunal responses to each scent type is dependent on the location of arrays and the make-up of the fauna present at the location. This is consistent with past findings focused on the pollinator types present, especially flies and bees. T-tests on naive butterfly visitation rates and duration of visits to scent emitter pairs found no significant preference for any scents, suggesting that any field preferences for these compounds are learned and not innate. Future experiments should include examining if ocimene/linalool blends impact scent preferences or level of interaction in the field.
A tale of two scents: scent preferences of naïve and experienced pollinators
Mounting evidence of pollinator decline and its repercussions on agriculture and plant diversity means that scientists must work to understand the details of plant-pollinator interactions. Though there are many facets to the relationship between plants and pollinators, one major mediator of this relationship is scent. As much is already known about the scent make-up of Narcissus and its pollinator partners, it is a great model system for additional research. This is also true for the insect species Vanessa cardui, a generalist pollinator found worldwide that has most likely come into contact with Narcissus and its scent. The objective of this research was therefore to explore the role of two major compound types found in Narcissus floral scent, linalool and β-ocimene isomers, in the attraction of experienced wild pollinators in the field using scent emitter arrays and naive Vanessa cardui in lab flight cages with scent emitter arrays. Chi-square tests of field data suggest that faunal responses to each scent type is dependent on the location of arrays and the make-up of the fauna present at the location. This is consistent with past findings focused on the pollinator types present, especially flies and bees. T-tests on naive butterfly visitation rates and duration of visits to scent emitter pairs found no significant preference for any scents, suggesting that any field preferences for these compounds are learned and not innate. Future experiments should include examining if ocimene/linalool blends impact scent preferences or level of interaction in the field.
