The Energy Cost of Bee Pollination for Pontederia cordata (Pontederiaceae)

Abstract

Each day during flowering a Pontederia cordata (Pontederiaceae) inflorescence produces 10-40 uniovulate flowers which open for only 8 h. In favourable weather, specialist (Melissodes apicata) and generalist bees (Bombus spp.) visited this plant so intensively that they removed 95% of the pollen produced by midday. From flower opening until the end of pollen availability, P. cordata flowers produced nectar with an energy content of 0.82±0.084 J (mean±SE). During the subsequent 4 h that the flowers remained open they produced and additional 0.63±0.184 J of nectar energy (...)