Table 1.
Ecophysiological correlates of the natural landscape and the deforested landscape. While there was no difference in the temperature (Ta) or relative humidity (RH), there were more Banksia blossoms in the natural landscape on which the bees could forage. Very few other flowering resources were available. As a result, both rubidium (86Rb) and sodium (22Na) isotope turnovers were higher in the natural landscape, suggesting that the honeybees were more active, energetic foragers in this habitat. n.s. indicates non-significant comparisons.
| Ta (°C) | RH (%) |
Banksia blossom |
86Rb kb |
22Na kb |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. menzesii | B. attenuata | (ml CO2 d−1) | (µl nectar d−1) | ||
| natural | |||||
| 25.5 ± 0.15 | 40.8 ± 0.26 | 157.2 ± 39.43 | 2.4 ± 1.03 | 0.28 ± 0.008 (9.91 ± 0.94) | 0.49 ± 0.02 (164.6 ± 31.0) |
| deforested | |||||
| 19.0 ± 0.11 | 56.9 ± 0.28 | 19.8 ± 10.80 | 0 | 0.15 ± 0.013 (6.82 ± 1.08) | 0.21 ± 0.03 (65.9 ± 27.4) |
| n.s. | n.s. |
t = 3.36 p = 0.0100 |
n.s. |
F1,9 = 5.25 p = 0.048 |
F1,9 = 13.4 p = 0.005 |