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Seasonal dynamics of floral composition and flower visitors in a subtropical alpine ecosystem in Taiwan
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  • Gaku Kudo*,
  • Tetsuo Kohyama,
  • Kai-Hsiu Chen,
  • Tsai-Wen Hsu,
  • Chun-Neng Wang
Gaku Kudo*
Hokkaido University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Tetsuo Kohyama
The University of Tokyo
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Kai-Hsiu Chen
University of Lausanne
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Tsai-Wen Hsu
Endemic Species Research Institute
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Chun-Neng Wang
National Taiwan University
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Abstract

Flowering phenology of alpine plant communities and seasonal dynamics of flower visitors have been scarcely studied in the tropical/subtropical alpine regions. We report flowering phenology, flower production, and flower-visiting insects in the alpine site of central Taiwan. Throughout the research period (2017–2018), we recorded flowering phenology of 130 plant species, flower production of 81 species, and 15,127 insects visiting alpine flowers. Most of the alpine plants were visited by dipteran insects and/or hymenopteran insects. The seasonal patterns of flowering were more apparent in bee-visited plants compared to fly-visited plants in which the flowering of bee-visited plants clearly increased as the season progressed. About 63% of flower visitors were dipteran insects (syrphid and non-syrphid flies), and 30% were hymenopteran insects (mostly bumble-bee workers). Although the seasonal trend in fly abundance was less clear between years, bumble-bee abundance consistently increased in the middle to late seasons, reflecting colony development. There was a positive correlation between bee abundance and the number of flowering species of bee-visited plants, but there was no correlation between fly abundance and the number of flowering species of fly-visited plants throughout the season. These results suggest that the flowering phenology of subtropical alpine communities is influenced by the seasonal availability of pollinators. Bumble bees, syrphid flies, and non-syrphid flies had wide ranges of foraging flowers, but their niche overlap was relatively small. Because cold-adapted bumble bees are threatened by climate change in Taiwan, plant–pollinator interactions may be disturbed by global warming.
29 Apr 2023Submitted to Ecological Research
01 May 2023Submission Checks Completed
01 May 2023Assigned to Editor
01 May 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
05 May 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
12 Jun 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
14 Aug 20231st Revision Received
17 Aug 2023Submission Checks Completed
17 Aug 2023Assigned to Editor
17 Aug 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 Aug 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
08 Sep 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
13 Sep 20232nd Revision Received
14 Sep 2023Submission Checks Completed
14 Sep 2023Assigned to Editor
14 Sep 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 Sep 2023Editorial Decision: Accept