Plant and Animal Co-evolution Mutualism Flashcards

Flashcards about plant and animal co-evolution mutualism.

Coevolution

Evolution due to species interactions such as mutualism and predation.

Pairwise coevolution

Evolution between two interacting species where each species evolves in response to the other, exerting selection in the next generation.

Mutualism

Benefits population growth for each species involved.

Plant-pollinator Mutualism

Flowers offer nectar or excess pollen as food and, in return, insects move pollen to allow outcrossing.

Constancy

Encourages insects to remain attracted to a specific plant species, indicated by color, shape, and scent of flowers.

Flowers pollinated by animals

Usually brightly colored flowers that may offer rewards such as nectar.

Flowers pollinated by butterflies and moths

Often sweetly fragrant and offer nectar as a reward; insects have co-evolved long mouth parts to get at the reward.

Flowers pollinated by day-active butterflies

Typically brightly colored flowers.

Flowers pollinated by night-active moths

Typically white or light-colored flowers.

Flowers with landing platforms

Provide landing platforms with special cells, forcing the insect to crawl inside to pick up and deposit pollen (e.g., snapdragons).

Bee pollinated flowers

Tend to be yellow/blue (not red).

Fly-pollinated flowers

Often smell like rotting meat and are typically red.

Bird-pollinated flowers

Produce copious nectar as a reward and tend to be red or yellow and odorless; hummingbirds have long bills to reach the nectar.

Bat-pollinated flowers

Produce copious nectar, open at night, emit strong fermenting, fruitlike, or musty odors, and are dull colored; often produced on the trunk.

Flowers pollinated by wind

Often have petals that are reduced or absent and lack nectaries, odors, and colors; have large anthers that produce lots of pollen; flowers form early in the spring before the leaves.

Wind-dispersed fruits and seeds

Have features that catch the wind for dispersal.

Animal-dispersed fruits & seeds

Can be dispersed externally (e.g., by burrs catching on fur) or internally (when eaten and pass undigested seeds through the gut and out with feces).

Mycorrhizae

The plant provides food for the fungus, and the fungus increases plant’s uptake of H2O and nutrients/deters plant pathogens.

Lichens

Symbiosis between a heterotrophic fungus (mycobiont) and a photosynthetic algae (photobiont) or cyanobacterium; the fungus protects the algae and traps H2O/minerals; the algae provides carbon compounds (glucose).

Leaf-cutter ants

Cultivate underground fungal gardens that grow on cut leaves to feed as food to the ant larvae in the nest.

Clown fish

Some sea anemones have a symbiotic mutualistic relationship with these fish, where the fish have a mucus coat that protects them from stinging.

Hermit crabs

Some sea anemones have a symbiotic mutualistic relationship with these animals, decreasing crab mortality.

Hard-coral polyps

Harbor mutualistic zooxanthellae endosymbionts (photosynthetic unicellular dinoflagellates) that provide food molecules and enhance a coral’s ability to deposit calcium carbonate.