Factors governing pollination success

植物从访花动物那里获得的授粉质量的变化在农业、保护和理解花的功能和进化方面至关重要。 在影响这种变化的众多因素中，目前的工作集中在（1）不同物种动物授粉质量的差异和（2）个体动物的行为选择与它们将花粉从植物转移到植物的方式之间的关系。 通过跟踪自然界中不同动物移动的花粉粒的命运来测量花粉势。 行为觅食的反应进行了研究，观察动物（主要是熊蜂）在外地和实验舞台上控制人工饲养和自动数据记录。 特别注意蜜蜂如何选择在哪里觅食和访问什么植物物种。 花粉质量与气候相互作用影响植物繁殖成功。 对野生多年生百合的长期研究表明，每年的天气变化会通过杀死霜冻直接影响坐果，并通过影响授粉赤字的数量间接影响坐果。 通过在田间比较人工授粉植物和自由授粉植物来评估授粉不足。 自1993年以来，授粉情况有明显恶化的趋势。 进一步的工作将试图确定这是否是由于传粉者数量下降或气候驱动的蜜蜂和花朵出现时间之间的不匹配。对百合生活史的终身监测显示了一次果实失败或成功如何影响植物生存，生长和未来开花的前景。

Variation in the quality of pollination plants receive from flower-visiting animals is critical in agriculture, in conservation, and in understanding how flowers function and evolve. Of numerous factors affecting that variation, the current work focuses on (1) differences in the quality of pollination delivered by different species of animals and (2) the relationship between behavioural choices made by individual animals and the way they move pollen from plant to plant. Pollination potential is measured by tracking the fates of pollen grains being moved by different animals in nature. Behavioural foraging responses are studied by observing animals (principally bumble bees) in the field and in experimental arenas with controlled artificial feeders and automated data recording. Particular attention is paid to how bees choose where to forage and what plant species to visit. Pollination quality interacts with climate to influence plant reproductive success. Long-term studies of a wild, perennial lily show how much year-to-year variation in weather affects fruit set directly, through killing frosts, and indirectly, by influencing the amount of pollination deficit. Pollination deficits have been assessed by comparing hand-pollinated plants to open-pollinated plants in the field. Since 1993, there is a significant trend of deteriorating pollination. Further work will attempt to determine whether this is due to declining pollinator populations or climate-driven mismatches between emergence times of bees and flowers. Lifelong monitoring of lily life histories shows how fruit failure or success at one time affects prospects for plant survival, growth, and future flowering.