Lesley A. DeFalco
Terry Griswold
Kelsey K. Graham
2025
<p><span>The majority of plants rely on animal-mediated pollination for reproduction. Reductions in pollinator visitations can lead to pollen limitation and declines in seed production. </span><i>Arctomecon californica,</i><span> the Las Vegas bearpoppy, is a rare plant native to the northeastern Mojave Desert. It is pollinator dependent for reproduction as it is self-incompatible, but associated pollinator populations can fluctuate greatly year to year. We therefore investigated if the reproductive output of </span><i>A. californica</i><span> is reduced in a year with lower pollinator visitation (2022) compared to a year when visitors were more abundant (2023). We documented the visiting bee community across both years and compared rates of </span><i>A. californica</i><span> seed fertilization and development across populations and between the two years. We collected and identified bees from 18 genera visiting </span><i>A. californica</i><span> flowers over the two years, with significant differences in the bee communities between years. There were significantly fewer overall bee visits to </span><i>A. californica</i><span> flowers in 2022 compared to 2023, but we found no impact on reproductive output, with overall high rates of seed production in both years.</span></p>
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10.1007/s11258-025-01532-y
en
Springer
Reproductive output of the rare plant Arctomecon californica does not appear to be limited by its floral visitor community
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