Interactive effects of Nutrient Enrichment and Water Scarcity on Floral signaling and visitation

Nutrient enrichment and water scarcity jointly reshape floral traits and pollinator visitation across five grassland species, with nutrient enrichment most strongly increasing flower number and achromatic contrast.

• Why it matters: Global change often alters multiple resources at once, and additive stressor models may miss interactive effects that determine how stable pollination services remain.
• What they did: The study tested individual and interactive effects of nutrient enrichment and water scarcity on floral traits and pollinator visitation rates in five grassland species, using trait measurements and visitation observations.
• The result: Nutrient enrichment significantly increased flower number and achromatic contrast while decreasing floral area, chromatic contrast, and chroma; water scarcity primarily reduced plant height and increased floral chroma and hue, and trait shifts scaled to visitation with largely species-specific effects.

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