Abstract
Abstract Pollinators are declining globally, with climate change implicated as an important driver. Climate change can induce phenological shifts and reduce floral resources for pollinators, but little is known about its effects on floral attractiveness and how this might cascade to affect pollinators, pollination functions and plant fitness. We used an in situ long‐term drought experiment to investigate multiple impacts of reduced precipitation in a natural Mediterranean shrubland, a habitat where climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts. Focusing on three insect‐pollinated plant species that provide abundant rewards and support a diversity of pollinators ( Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris ), we investigated the effects of drought on a suite of floral traits including nectar production and floral scent. We also measured the impact of reduced rainfall on pollinator visits, fruit set and germination in S. rosmarinus and C. albidus . Drought altered floral emissions of all three plant species qualitatively, and reduced nectar production in T. vulgaris only. Apis mellifera and Bombus gr. terrestris visited more flowers in control plots than drought plots, while small wild bees visited more flowers in drought plots than control plots. Pollinator species richness did not differ significantly between treatments. Fruit set and seed set in S. rosmarinus and C. albidus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots, but seeds from drought plots had slower germination for S. rosmarinus and marginally lower germination success in C. albidus . Synthesis . Overall, we found limited but consistent impacts of a moderate experimental drought on floral phenotype, plant reproduction and pollinator visits. Increased aridity under climate change is predicted to be stronger than the level assessed in the present study. Drought impacts will likely be stronger and this could profoundly affect the structure and functioning of plant–pollinator networks in Mediterranean ecosystems.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Drought qualitatively altered floral emissions of Cistus albidus.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidus
Cistus albiduse1 - Treatment
- Droughte0
- Outcome
- floral emissionse0
- Qualifier
- qualitativelye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Drought altered floral emissions of all three plant species qualitatively”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought qualitatively altered floral emissions of Salvia rosmarinus.
- Taxon
- Salvia rosmarinus
Salvia rosmarinuse1 - Treatment
- Droughte0
- Outcome
- floral emissionse0
- Qualifier
- qualitativelye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Drought altered floral emissions of all three plant species qualitatively”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought qualitatively altered floral emissions of Thymus vulgaris.
- Taxon
- Thymus vulgaris
.JPG?width=60)
Thymus vulgarise1 - Treatment
- Droughte0
- Outcome
- floral emissionse0
- Qualifier
- qualitativelye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.JPG?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Drought altered floral emissions of all three plant species qualitatively”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought reduced nectar production in Thymus vulgaris.
- Taxon
- Thymus vulgarisThymus vulgarise1
- Treatment
- Droughte0
- Outcome
- nectar productione0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Drought altered floral emissions of all three plant species qualitatively, and reduced nectar production in T. vulgaris only.”
e1“Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Apis mellifera visited more flowers in control plots.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidusCistus albiduse1
- Treatment
- drought plotse0
- Interactor
- Apis mellifera
_Apis_mellifera_(female)_-_on_viburnum_tinus_flowers.jpg?width=60)
Apis melliferae0pollinator - Outcome
- visited more flowerse0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- control plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_Apis_mellifera_(female)_-_on_viburnum_tinus_flowers.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Apis mellifera and Bombus gr. terrestris visited more flowers in control plots than drought plots”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Bombus gr. terrestris visited more flowers in control plots.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidusCistus albiduse1
- Treatment
- drought plotse0
- Interactor
- Bombus gr. terrestrise0pollinator
- Outcome
- visited more flowerse0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- control plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Apis mellifera and Bombus gr. terrestris visited more flowers in control plots than drought plots”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Small wild bees visited more flowers in drought plots.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidusCistus albiduse1
- Treatment
- drought plotse0
- Interactor
- small wild beese0pollinator
- Outcome
- visited more flowerse0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- control plotse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“small wild bees visited more flowers in drought plots than control plots”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Pollinator species richness did not significantly differ between treatments.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidusCistus albiduse1
- Outcome
- Pollinator species richnesse0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Comparator
- treatmentse0
Not reportedTreatment
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pollinator species richness did not differ significantly between treatments.”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit set in Salvia rosmarinus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots.
- Taxon
- Salvia rosmarinusSalvia rosmarinuse1
- Treatment
- Droughte2
- Outcome
- Fruit sete0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit set and seed set in S. rosmarinus and C. albidus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
e2“Drought altered floral emissions”
Claim · model-written summary
Fruit set in Cistus albidus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidusCistus albiduse1
- Treatment
- Droughte2
- Outcome
- Fruit sete0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit set and seed set in S. rosmarinus and C. albidus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
e2“Drought altered floral emissions”
Claim · model-written summary
seed set in Salvia rosmarinus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots.
- Taxon
- Salvia rosmarinusSalvia rosmarinuse1
- Treatment
- Droughte2
- Outcome
- seed sete0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit set and seed set in S. rosmarinus and C. albidus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
e2“Drought altered floral emissions”
Claim · model-written summary
seed set in Cistus albidus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidusCistus albiduse1
- Treatment
- Droughte2
- Outcome
- seed sete0
- Direction
- did not differe0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit set and seed set in S. rosmarinus and C. albidus did not differ significantly between control and drought plots”
e1“Cistus albidus , Salvia rosmarinus and Thymus vulgaris”
e2“Drought altered floral emissions”
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds from drought plots germinated more slowly in Salvia rosmarinus.
- Taxon
- Salvia rosmarinusSalvia rosmarinuse1
- Organ / stage
- seedse0
- Treatment
- drought plotse0
- Outcome
- germinatione0
- Direction
- slowere0
- Comparator
- controle2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“seeds from drought plots had slower germination for S. rosmarinus”
e1“Salvia rosmarinus”
e2“control and drought plots”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought plot seeds had marginally lower germination success in Cistus albidus.
- Taxon
- Cistus albidusCistus albiduse1
- Treatment
- drought plotse2
- Outcome
- germination successe0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Qualifier
- marginallye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“marginally lower germination success in C. albidus”
e1“Cistus albidus”
e2“seeds from drought plots had slower germination”
The same questions in other papers
drought · yield · Thymus vulgaris (thyme)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- negative
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →drought · growth · Salvia rosmarinus (rosemary)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- negative
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.