A complete understanding of interactions occurring at the community level in pollination networks is necessary to create better conservation policies in a rapidly changing world. Such interactions may be governed by size-based morphological characteristics of floral displays and pollinators. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of butterfly size and floral display size on interactions between the two. Morphological measurements of floral displays and butterflies were obtained. Individual butterflies were followed to record interactions between butterflies and floral displays. Butterfly size was found to significantly influence visitation rate both within and across plant species. Butterfly size did not significantly influence handling time, though a negative relationship was apparent between butterfly size and handling time within a plant species. Floral display size did not significantly influence visitation rate and had no definitive relationship with handling time. However, exclusion of one flowering species resulted in a significant relationship between display size and visitation rate suggesting that more research is necessary. The results of this study suggest that size-based morphological features of both butterfly pollinators and the floral species they visit influence interactions between the two. Further research should be conducted to develop community models for conservation efforts.

The relationships among butterfly size, visitation rate, handling time, and floral display size