lecture 14- pollination biology

white flowers attract

beetles, flies, butterflies, nocturnal moths

pink flowers attract

butterflies, some moths

red and orange flowers attract

birds

yellow flowers attract

butterflies, bees, haverflies, wasps

blue flowers attract

butterflies, bees

purple flowers attract

bees, wasps

easy way to remember flower color and attraction

white, pink, yellow, blue- butterflies

red and orange- birds

purple- bees and wasps

nectar guides

patterns of constraining colors that can leed bees to nectaries

what provides protection of plant nectaries from herbivores

glandular trichomes on stems

how can we signal pollination status in pollination biology

flowers will change color to increase attractivness

what colors indicate high/low nectar levels in Pulmonaria oficinalis

if emerging flowers are pink then they have high nectar levels

older flowers are blue/purple means less nectar

flowers & ___ evolved together

insects

what happens when infloresences (cluster of many flowers arranged on singlar stem) are feasts

they are grouped together meaning they produce lots of nectar and pollen in one place, attracting many pollinators at once

predictor of pollination syndrome

floral form

pollination syndromes

linkages between plants and animals based on traits of each

major adaptation for pollination

flowers

traits of effective pollinators

regular visits to flowers

non-destructive feeding

derives significant amount of diet or reward from flower

collects & transfers pollen

deposits pollen on stigma of plants of the correct species

flower traits

color

scent

flowering time

structure

rewards

pollinator traits

sensory capacity

behavior

diet (nutritional needs)

rewards for pollinators (flower traits)

nectar

pollen

oils

resins

fragrences

heat

what reward does nectar provide for pollinators

sugars, amino acids, secondary metabolites

what reward does pollen provide for pollinators

proteins, amino acidds, sugars, lipids, secondary metabolites

what reward does oil provide for polinators

free fatty acids

what reward do resins provide for polinators

collected by female bees for nest constructions

what reward do fragrences provide for polinators

collected by male bees to attract mates

what reward does heat provide for polinators

warm brood site, volatilize scent compounds

bee vs butterfly vs human signt

humans detect red, green and blue light: not UV

bees can detect UV, geen blue: not red

butterflies can detect UV, blue, green, red

bird color vision

bird pollinated plants often have bright red or red-yelllow flowers and blue fruits

how do anthens increase pollen transfer

positioned to deposit pollen on pollinator in specific spot

how do stigmas increase pollen transfer

positioned to contact body where pollen was deposited

moth pollination

flowers white or pale

scent strong, sweet

night/dusk flowering

nectar spur often present

reward of nectar only

butterfly pollination

flowers pinks, purples, yellows

scent weak, fresh

day flowering

landing platform present (inflorescence morphology)

nectar spur often present

reward of nectar only

bee pollination

flowers blue, yellow, purple

scent strong, fresh

day flowering

bilateral landing platform

reward of nectar, pollen, oil, resin, scent

Diascia (twinspur)

two petals are modified to have spurs that contain oil secreting trichomes. pollinated by bee species with very long front legs (Rediviva)

resin flowers

bees collect resin from stamens to use in nest construction

buzz pollination flowers

bees vibrate a flower to shake pollen out of poricidial anthers

fly pollination

light colored flowers

faint scent

day flowering

radial, shallow

reward of nectar and or pollen

beetle pollination

green or white flowers

strong, various scent

day or night flowering

corolla closed/open

nectar and or pollen reward sometimes heat

beetle pollination with heat as a reward

large, termogenic blossoms from hot chambers, beetles congregate and breed

bird pollination

bright, often red flowers

no scent

day flowering

tubular, often pendant flowers

ovary often inferior

nectar reward

bat pollination

flowers white

scent strong, musky

night flowering

showy flowers

nectar and or pollen reward

geckos and lizards

some lizard-pollinated plants have brightly colored nectar

visual signal for geckos

deceitful flowers

flowers that attract pollinators with false advertising (no real reward like nectar)

how do deceitful flowers attract flies

brownish, purplish flowers

strong, rotten scent

day or night flowering

corolla closed/open

no reward

trap flower traits in Ceropegia

long corolla tubes from traps

fusion of petal lobes from windows

insects attracted by scents from flowers and shiny hairs

pollinia

compact masses of pollen grains that are stuck together and transferred as a single unit during pollination