Asking the pikas politely…
Pollinator predation can have widespread impacts on plant-pollinator interactions, particularly in terms of avoidance behaviors in flower-visiting insects and the fitness of predator hosting plants. Yet, few studies have taken into account the potential for these predators to accidentally vector pollen between plants while seeking prey items. In this study, we examined members of the family Salticidae for pollen presence on their external surface and how the variables of body length, floral abundance, and floral richness may impact the number of pollen grains detected on these arachnids. Additionally, we compared pollen loads of salticid and hemipteran specimens to determine whether the presence of pollen grains on Salticidae specimens were proportionate to other non-traditional pollinators. We found a statistically significant relationship between pollen load and body length, as well as significant differences when comparing pollen presence on the surface of salticid and hemipteran specimens, favoring hemipterans as the more likely transferrors of pollen. While the pollen load of salticid specimens was low when compared to hemipterans, the evidence that this pollen presence can still be predicted through variables in their environment has offered new insights into the deeper complexity pollinator predators may be adding to plant-pollinator interaction systems.
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