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Heterogeneity of Tropical Floral Microclimates and the Response of Hummingbird Flower Mites
Author(s) -
Dobkin David S.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1940402
Subject(s) - hummingbird , microclimate , inflorescence , biology , mite , ecology , population , biological dispersal , acari , demography , sociology
Analyses of microclimatic patterns on Heliconia wagneriana inflorescences inhabited by nectarivorous hummingbird flower mites (Gamasida: Ascidae) in secondary lower montane rainforest reveal the existence of substantial microclimatic variation both among and within individual inflorescences. Field experiments demonstrate that the mites respond to this variation by exploiting thermally favorable locations and avoiding thermally adverse conditions within inflorescences. Field introductions of mite population inocula to uninhabited inflorescences show that mite reproduction (and probably survival) is affected strongly by inflorescence microclimate. Floral microclimate, in conjunction with hummingbird visitation patterns, controls mite dispersal among inflorencences. These experiments illustrate the impact of microclimatological heterogeneity on the population biology of a tropical phytophagous arthropod.