The Balance Between Benefit and Detriment in a Plant-Nectar Robber Mutualism

9509563莫礼时指出，相对于其他种类的物种互动，生态学家对互惠关系关注不多，这可能反映出一种态度，即互惠关系是脆弱的结构，容易受到“不合作者”的入侵，这些“不合作者”从另一个物种中获利，但不提供补偿利益。然而，很少有研究探索互惠制度中所有可能的好处和坏处，即使是那些明显不合作行为很常见的制度。这项拟议的研究将解决惊慌失措的风铃草和掠夺花蜜的大黄蜂之间的互利互动中的利与弊之间的平衡。与先入为主的观念相反，窃取花蜜的人，特别是那些也合法造访花朵的人，可能会给植物带来等于或超过他们在窃取花蜜时所造成的负面影响的好处。要充分探索风铃草和花蜜与强盗相互作用中的积极和消极影响之间的平衡，需要三个新的方法。首先，有必要衡量抢劫花蜜对植株雄株和雌株成功的影响。其次，植物的繁殖成功必须以适当的规模来衡量。第三，有必要确定通过非合作行为获得的报酬的产生是否确实是确保植物从兼职的花蜜窃贼那里获得互利利益所必需的。这项研究中的实验将第一次评估抢劫花蜜对男性和女性健康的影响，这是以整个克隆人的规模衡量的。其他实验将操纵产生花蜜的花朵，以阐明花朵奖励在诱使掠夺花蜜的传粉者的有益行为中的作用。这些实验将检验一般的互惠互利，特别是植物和它们的传粉者之间的原型互惠，是否包含有利和不利的因素。

9509563 Morris That ecologists have paid little attention to mutualisms relative to other kinds of species interactions may reflect the attitude that mutualisms are fragile constructs subject to invasion by "non-cooperators" that profit from another species without providing compensating benefits. However, few studies have explored the full range of possible benefits and detriments in mutualistic systems, even those in which apparently non-cooperative behavior is common. The proposed study will address the balance between benefit and detriment in the mutualistic interaction between panicled bluebells and nectar-robbing bumble bees. Contrary to preconceived notions, nectar-robbers, especially those that also pay legitimate visits to flowers, may provide benefits to the plant that equal or outweigh the negative effects they inflict while nectar-robbing. A full exploration of the balance between positive and negative effects in the bluebell and nectar-robber interaction requires three new approaches. First, it is necessary to measure the impact of nectar-robbery on both the male and female success of the plant. Second, the plant's reproductive success must be measured at an appropriate scale. Third, it is necessary to determine if the production of a reward that is obtained by a non-cooperative behavior is actually necessary to assure that the plant receives a mutualistic benefit from facultative nectar-robbers. The experiments in this study will be the first to assess the effects of nectar-robbery on both male and female fitness measured at the scale of entire clones. Additional experiments will manipulate the nectar-producing flowers to elucidate the role of floral rewards in eliciting beneficial behavior from nectar-robbing pollinators. These experiments will examine whether mutualisms in general, and the archetypal mutualism between plants and their pollinators in particular, contain elements of both benefit and detriment.