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An estimate of pollen carryover by ants in a natural population of Scleranthus perennis L. (Caryophyllaceae)

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Summary

Pollen carryover by ants was estimated in a natural population of Scleranthus perennis L. (Caryophyllaceae) using fluorescent dye as a pollen analogue.

A highly significant exponential decrease in deposition of dye grains in a sequence of flowers visited by the main flowr visitor, Formica (S.) rufibarbis F., was observed with most grains being deposited in the first few flowers visited. At most 12 flowers were visited in a sequence.

The mean between-flower transfer distance was estimated to be 6.2 cm, within-plant pollen transfers being recorded as zero. When all within-plant movements were excluded the mean was 22.5 cm. The distribution of transport distances differed from what I observed for honey-bees which occasionally foraged on dense stands of S. perennis. Calculations made on the deposition of dye grains transferred by ants showed that 7% of the dye grains deposited in the first flower visited after the dye source may reach a flower situated c. 30 cm from the dye source.

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  1. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Lund, Ö. Vallgatan 18-20, S-22361, Lund, Sweden

    Linus Svensson

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  1. Linus Svensson
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Svensson, L. An estimate of pollen carryover by ants in a natural population of Scleranthus perennis L. (Caryophyllaceae). Oecologia 66, 373–377 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378301

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378301

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