| Cheaters affect most mutualisms, but their effects remain misunderstood. This thesis investigates aspects of plant-nectar robber interactions in Linaria vulgaris.; Nectar robbing reduced pollinator visitation and nectar standing crop. This suggests that robbers negatively affect fitness; however, researchers have found no such effect. Aspects of floral development, inflorescence architecture, and robber behaviour may mitigate the costs of nectar larceny.; Robbed plants attracted more ants than unrobbed plants. Ant access reduced herbivory and increased fitness. Robbing had no effect, but had weak interactions with ant access.; I suggest that L. vulgaris has a number of characteristics that make nectar robbing negligible. These include vertical patterns of flower maturation, separated nectaries and nectar storage, and closed corollas.; Researchers interested in nectar robbers should consider when and why the outcomes of multi-species relationships vary. Such a viewpoint may infuse community ecology with new insights about species interactions and their roles in ecosystem function. |
