Environmental Influences on Nectar Production in Milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca and A. exaltata)

Abstract

Cross-comparisons of nectar production data are complicated because different workers use bags made of various materials to exclude animal visitors. Using clonal populations of Asclepias syriaca and A. exaltata in northern Virginia, we carefully measured the effects of four bagging treatments (bridal veil, pellon, paper, plastic) on microenvironment (temperature, relative humidity) and nectar production (volume, concentration, sucrose amount) over the course of a day. In general, bridal veil bags changed the microenvironment least relative to unbagged controls. Plastic bags resulted in higher temperatures and constantly higher relative humidities. Temperature and relative humidity were also elevated, though less dramatically, in paper and pellon bags. Under more humid conditions, flowers contained larger volumes of more dilute nectar. Therefore, researchers who wish to obtain nectar production data that reflect natural field conditions should use bridal veil, or a material with similar properties, to bag inflorescences. We also performed a watering experiment, involving the addition of the equivalent of a 10-cm rain to the A. syriaca plot. After watering, nectar volumes and sucrose amounts were increased approximately twofold.