Attraction of florivores and larcenists and interaction between antagonists in Senna rugosa (Fabaceae)

Florivory and floral larceny are very common antagonistic interactions in nature. Florivory can be especially harmful to species with polymorphisms because it may hinder the transfer of pollen in one of the floral morphs. Flower size is one of the floral signals that can influence the attraction of these antagonists. In addition, little is known about the effects of florivory on other antagonistic interactions. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the natural patterns of florivory and the relationship between florivory and robbery in the attraction of larcenists in the species Senna rugosa . All flowers damaged by florivores were collected for measurement of natural patterns of florivory with aid of the ImageJ software . Florivory were simulated by holes in the base of the petals and photographs and focal observations were made to assess the effect of flower area and florivory on the attraction of floral larcenists. Smaller flowers had higher florivory rates. In larger flowers, the inner part of the corolla and the anthers had a greater probability of suffering florivory. Although the damage caused by florivory occurred discontinuously regardless of flower size, larger flowers presented continuous marks of florivory more frequently than smaller ones. Larcenists visited flowers regardless of flower size or damaged parts. Thus, flower size and florivory are not determinant factors for the attraction of floral larcenists in enantiostylous S. rugosa .