Floral and insect traits predict predation risk and neophobia impacts on flower-visiting insects' behavior

Author(s)

Antiqueira, Pablo Augusto Poleto ; Vieira, Camila ; Viana, Joao Vitor de Alcantara ; Romero, Gustavo Quevedo

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY; v. 79, n. 2, p. 13-pg., 2025-02-01.

Abstract

Flower-visiting insects are often under predation risk when foraging on flowers, driving behavioral adaptations to recognize and avoid predator traits or other foreign shapes upon flowers. However, it is not well understood how flower and flower-visiting insect traits predict behavioral responses of flower-visiting insects in the face of predation risk or how they distinguish the predator from objects with less potential risk (i.e., neophobia). Here, we conducted a field experiment using seven neotropical plant species to test the effect of simulated predation risk (i.e., artificial crab spider model) and neophobia (i.e., spherical object). Flower-visiting insects differently recognized and avoided flowers with crab spider models from flowers harboring spheres and flowers without any objects. However, the magnitude of predation risk and neophobia effects was smaller in larger flowers likely because they decrease the conspicuity of predator traits or other objects with some potential risk. In addition, the flower-visiting insect avoidance in response to predator risk decreased with body size, with larger insects being less responsive to predation risk and neophobia. Our findings shed new light on predation risk effects on multiple flower-visiting insects' assemblage, showing that the predator-insect-plant tritrophic interactions are dependent on both insects and flower traits. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/26243-8 - Extreme rainfall events and their effects on the community structure and ecosystem functioning
• Grantee: Pablo Augusto Poleto Antiqueira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 22/10765-3 - Anthropogenic impacts and their effects on biodiversity, complex networks and flux between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
• Grantee: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 23/01589-0 - Influence of aquatic-sourced subsidies on the resilience of receptor food webs in riparian forests
• Grantee: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 19/08474-8 - Freshwater ecosystems under climate change: impacts across multiple levels of organisation
• Grantee: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants