Abstract
Abstract Flowering crops are heavily managed during bloom to both promote pollination and prevent disease. Disease management practices can alter the floral microbiome, including pathogens and nontarget microbes. However, whether agrochemical presence or altered microbiome composition affect pollinator foraging and pollination services is unclear. We assessed effects of orchard management tactics and landscape context on the flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis . Fourteen orchards (five conventional, four organic and five conventional with habitat augmentation) were sampled at early and peak bloom to characterize bacterial and fungal communities associated with floral tissues. The surveys were complemented by an artificial flower experiment to assess effects of fungicides and microbes on honey bee foraging. Finally, a field trial was conducted to test effects of fungicides and microbes on pollination. As bloom progressed, bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity increased across all floral tissue types and management strategies. The magnitude by which microbial abundance and diversity were affected varied, with proximity to apiaries and orchard management having notable effects on bacteria and fungi respectively. Experiments revealed that fungicides reduced nectar removal by honey bees; however, neither fungicide nor microbe treatments affected pollination, as measured through pollen tube initiation and growth. Synthesis and applications . Our results reveal that microbiota associated with flowers of a pollinator‐dependent crop are temporally dynamic and sensitive to management practices. However, pollination services in almond may be resilient to both agrochemical disturbance and microbial augmentation of flowers, the latter of which may become more prominent as microbial solutions to disease management are embraced in agroecosystems.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Bacterial abundance and diversity increased as bloom progressed.
- Taxon
- almond
Prunus dulcise1 - Organ / stage
- bloome0
- Outcome
- bacterial and fungal abundance and diversitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“As bloom progressed, bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity increased across all floral tissue types and management strategies.”
e1“flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis”
Claim · model-written summary
Fungal abundance and diversity increased as bloom progressed.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise1
- Organ / stage
- bloome0
- Outcome
- fungal abundance and diversitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“As bloom progressed, bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity increased across all floral tissue types and management strategies.”
e1“flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis”
Claim · model-written summary
Proximity to apiaries notably affected floral bacteria.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise1
- Outcome
- bacteriae0
- Setting
- proximity to apiariese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“proximity to apiaries and orchard management having notable effects on bacteria and fungi respectively.”
e1“flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis”
Claim · model-written summary
Orchard management notably affected floral fungi.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise1
- Treatment
- orchard managemente0
- Outcome
- fungie0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“proximity to apiaries and orchard management having notable effects on bacteria and fungi respectively.”
e1“flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis”
Claim · model-written summary
Fungicides reduced nectar removal by honey bees.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise1
- Treatment
- fungicidese0
- Outcome
- nectar removal by honey beese0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“fungicides reduced nectar removal by honey bees”
e1“flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis”
Claim · model-written summary
Fungicide treatments did not affect pollen tube initiation and growth.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise1
- Treatment
- fungicidee0
- Outcome
- pollen tube initiation and growthe0
- Direction
- neither fungicide nor microbe treatments affected pollinatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“neither fungicide nor microbe treatments affected pollination, as measured through pollen tube initiation and growth”
e1“pollination services in almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Microbe treatments did not affect pollen tube initiation and growth.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise1
- Treatment
- microbe treatmentse0
- Outcome
- pollen tube initiation and growthe0
- Direction
- neither fungicide nor microbe treatments affected pollinatione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“neither fungicide nor microbe treatments affected pollination, as measured through pollen tube initiation and growth”
e1“pollination services in almond”
The same questions in other papers
inoculation · growth · Prunus dulcis (almond)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.