Abstract
Bumblebee queens require a continuous supply of flowering food plants from early spring for the successful development of annual colonies. Early in spring, Corydalis cava provides essential nectar and pollen resources and a choice of flower colour. In this paper, we examine flower colour choice (purple or white) in C. cava and verify the hypothesis that bumblebee queens differ in their choice of flower colour. A total of 10,615 observations of flower visits were made in spring 2011 and spring 2014 near Poznan, western Poland. Our results suggest that Bombus lucorum/cryptarum used purple flowers less, while Bombus terrestris used purple flowers more and Bombus hortorum showed no preference. Therefore, the colour morphs of C. cava are probably co-evolutionary adaptations to the development of another part of the insect community which has different colour preferences.
Highlights
Pollinators are often considered crucial species in ecosystems (Williams and Osborne 2009; Winfree 2010)
The purpose of our study was to verify the hypothesis that bumblebee queens differ in choice of flower colour morphs of C. cava
There were a small number of visits by two other bumblebee species B. pratorum and B. lapidarius
Summary
Pollinators are often considered crucial species in ecosystems (Williams and Osborne 2009; Winfree 2010). Bumblebees pollinate a wide range of plants in both agricultural and natural habitats Heinrich 2004; Goulson 2010; Osgathorpe et al 2012) They live in annual colonies that are founded by single queens (Heinrich 2004; Goulson et al 2002). When a queen emerges from hibernation in spring, she feeds on pollen and nectar until her ovaries develop. She tries to find a suitable nesting site. Colony development is a critical period characterised by a high rate of colony failure
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
