BIOL 410 - Co-Evolution

What was the result of plants and pollinators developing mutations that benefitted each other?

Evolved together and radiated together.

What is adaptive radiation?

Rapid increase in the number of species.

What 3 factors allow for insects to prefer certain flowers?

• colors

• shapes

• aromas

What happens to specific flowers once they get pollinated?

Increased reproduction. Their ‘desirable’ traits get enhanced.

What is selection pressure?

Pollinator traits change.

What is the danger of attracting pollinators?

Getting eaten.

What is the plant’s evolutionary response to the danger of attracting pollinators?

Create secondary metabolites = biochemical co-evolution.

What cause toxins to be made over evolutionary time?

Selection pressure of pollinators.

What did the magnolia flower co-evolve with? Why?

Beetles. They both have ancestral traits that match.

What are some ancestral beetle traits?

• lousy fliers

• poor eyesight

• good olfactory sense (smell)

• chewable mouth parts

What are some ancestral magnolia traits?

• large flower/ radial symmetry

• aromatic

• many petals/ stamens for food

Which insects co-evolved with orchids? Why?

Bees. They both have derived traits.

What are some derived traits of bees?

• nimble fliers

• good eyesight

• bristles

• pollen baskets to capture pollen

What are some derived traits of orchids?

• bilateral symmetry

• colorful

• nectar - carbs

• pollen - protein

• nectar guides

Many flowers are shaped like female wasps. Why is this beneficial?

Males pollinate them by attempting to mate.

What are derived traits in hummingbirds?

• great eyesight

• hover in the air

• forked tongues for lapping nectar

What are the derived traits of hummingbird pollinated flowers?

• bright colors

• petals fused into tubes (hold more nectar)

• stamens stick out to put pullen on hummers head

What are the derived traits of moths?

• fly at night

• good sense of smell

• long proboscis for sucking nectar

What are the derived traits of moth pollinated flowers?

• often white

• open at night

• petals fused into long tube

What is Jimson Weed?

Toxic flower that blocks neurotransmitters in central nervous system. Still used in sacred ceremonies, and used to get high.

What is a derived trait of the sphinx moth?

Foot long proboscis.

What did the sphinx moth co-evolve with?

Comet orchid.

What is a derived trait of the comet orchid?

Foot long tube.

How did the yucca moth and yucca plant co-evolve?

Yucca flower makes many ovules. Female yucca moth collects pollen. She places the ball of pollen on top of the stigma. She lays her fertilized eggs in the ovary. Larvae hatch and eat the excess ovules.

What are derived traits of bats and flowers that are pollinated by bats?

Bats fly at night and they have a tongue for pollen and nectar collection. The flowers are white and open at night, and they have lots of pollen and nectar.

How are oak trees pollinated?

Wind.

What are the characteristics of oaks?

• no color

• long feather stigmas

• reduced/ no petals

• ex. monocots (grains)

What is an example of reversal in evolution?

Wind pollination in flowering plants.

What are the characteristics of flowers that are pollinated by flies?

Look/smell like rotting meat/dung.