 |
|
Flowers shape themselves to guide their pollinators to the pollen
April 04, 2007Wide flowers for bats, narrow flowers for hummingbirds in the cloudforests of Ecuador
Why do flowers specialize on different pollinators? For example, both bats and hummingbirds pollinate plants in tropical forests; why adapt to just one instead of using both? Biologists often assume that tradeoffs contribute to such specialization (the jack of all pollinators is master of none), yet surprisingly little evidence exists in support of this idea. Nathan Muchhala from the University of Miami explored pollinator specialization through experiments with bats, hummingbirds, and artificial flowers in cloudforests of Ecuador. In a study published in the April issue of the American Naturalist, he reports that the fit between flower and pollinator is key: bats pollinate wide flowers better, while hummingbirds transfer more pollen between narrow flowers. Videotaping demonstrated that a poor fit fails to correctly guide the pollinator while feeding. This tradeoff in adapting to bats vs. hummingbirds is strong enough to favor specialization on one or the other. Nathan says, "While all leaves tend to look similar, flowers come in a spectacular variety of shapes and colors. This study suggests tradeoffs in adapting to different pollinators may have played an important role in the evolution of such diversity."
University of Chicago Press Journals
Pollinator Current Events and Pollinator News RSSSaving our bees
Most of the world's plant species rely on animals to transfer their pollen to other plants. The undisputed queen of these animal pollinators is the bee, made up of about 30,000 species worldwide, whose daily flights aid in the reproduction of more than half of the world's flowering plants.
Climate change could severely impact California's unique native plants
The native plants unique to California are so vulnerable to global climate change that two-thirds of these "endemics" could suffer more than an 80 percent reduction in geographic range by the end of the century.
Newly Compiled Online Bee Checklist Allows Biologists To Link Important Information About All Bee Species
n time for National Pollinator Week, June 22 through June 28, biologists have completed an online effort to compile a world checklist of bees. They have identified nearly 19,500 bee species worldwide, about 2,000 more than previously estimated.
How to share a bat
New research shows how different species of plants evolve unique floral adaptations in order to transfer pollen on different regions of bats' bodies, thus allowing multiple plant species to share bats as pollinators.
Size and positioning of floral anthers facilitates pollen collection by bees
Unlike moths and butterflies that are often brilliantly colored to warn potential predators that they carry toxins, flowers and the fruits they produce have brilliant colors and unusual shapes because they want to attract the attention of pollinators and frugivores who will disperse their pollen and seed, thus guaranteeing the next generation.
Columbine flowers develop long nectar spurs in response to pollinators
In flowers called columbines, evolution of the length of nectar spurs--the long tubes leading to plants' nectar--happens in a way that allows flowers to match the tongue lengths of the pollinators that drink their nectar, biologists have found.
Bumble bees can estimate time intervals
In a finding that broadens our understanding of time perception in the animal kingdom, researchers have discovered that an insect pollinator, the bumble bee, can estimate the duration of time intervals.
Increased competition for pollen may lead to plant extinctions
The decline of birds, bees and other pollinators in the world's most diverse ecosystems may be putting plants in those areas at risk, according to new research.
Media Invitation: British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, Lancaster University, 7-9 September 2004
You are invited to attend the UK's premier ecological event, the British Ecological Society's Annual Meeting, being held at Lancaster University on 7-9 September 2004. Thousands of ecologists from all four corners of the globe will be attending the meeting, which features hundreds of scientific papers and posters. Highlights include: * The BES Lecture, given by Professor Sir David King, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government, on Wednesday 8 September. * A debate on the future of scientific publishing in ecology. Taking part in the debate on Wednesday 8 September will be Bob Campbell of Blackwell Publishing, Catriona MacCallum from the Public Library of Science, Ken Norris, editor of the
Mass flowering crops enhance pollinator densities at a landscape scale
The EU response to recent declines in pollinators and consequent loss of pollination services has been the inclusion of pollinator-friendly management in agri-environment schemes. These comprise the promotion of semi-natural habitats, such as set-aside and field margin strips. Yet, mass flowering crops, such as oilseed rape, are assumed to be of little value to pollinators. However, in an article soon to appear in Ecology Letters, C. Westphal, I. Steffan-Dewenter and T. Tscharntke show that the densities of bumblebees, a key group of pollinators in European agroecosystems, did not appear to be related to the amount of semi-natural habitats, as previously thought. Instead, bumblebees profite
More Pollinator Current Events and Pollinator News Articles
 | The Forgotten Pollinators by Stephen L. Buchmann, Gary Paul Nabhan Consider this: Without interaction between animals and flowering plants, the seeds and fruits that make up nearly eighty percent of the human diet would not exist.In "The Forgotten Pollinators," Stephen L. Buchmann, one of the world's leading authorities on bees and pollination, and Gary Paul Nabhan, award-winning writer and renowned crop ecologist, explore the vital but little-appreciated... |
 | Pollinator Conservation Handbook: A Guide to Understanding, Protecting, and Providing Habitat for Native Pollinator Insects by Matthew Shepherd, Stephen L. Buchmann, Mace Vaughan, Scott Hoffman Black The Pollinator Conservation Handbook is an indispensable resource for gardeners, farmers, and managers of parks, recreational areas, and wild lands. It will guide you through the steps for creating and improving habitat for insect pollinators, including selecting and planting forage flowers, providing nesting and egg-laying sites, and caring for your pollinator habitat over time. The Handbook... |
 | Plant-Pollinator Interactions: From Specialization to Generalization Just as flowering plants depend on their pollinators, many birds, insects, and bats rely on plants for energy and nutrients. This plant-pollinator relationship is essential to the survival of natural and agricultural ecosystems. Plant-Pollinator Interactions portrays the intimate relationships of pollination over time and space and reveals patterns of interactions from individual to community... |
 | Plant Tricksters (Watts Library) by Janet Halfmann Introduces various plants that use unusual defense mechanisms to... |
 | Status of Pollinators in North America by Committee on the Status of Pollinators in North America, National Research Council Pollinators - insects, birds, bats, and other animals that carry pollen from the male to the female parts of flowers for plant reproduction - are an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems throughout North America. For example, most fruit, vegetable, and seed crops and some crops that provide fiber, drugs, and fuel depend on animals for pollination.This book provides evidence for... |
| The pollinators of Eden by J. E. L. Boyd | |
 | Understanding Native Bees, the Great Pollinators (Bulletin #7153) by THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE SIMPLE 12 PAGE BOOKLET COVERING BEES IN MAINE,BLACK AND WHITE DRAWINGS,COVERS ALOT OF INFORMATION,VERY GOOD RESEARCH IN THIS... |
| Pollinators of Eden by John Boyd | |
| The Indo-Australian Agaoninae (pollinators of figs) by J. T. Wiebes Paperback. This book represents a synopsis of the Indo-Australian species of the Hymenopterous subfamily Agaoninae (pollinators of figs. Figus spp.). In general, these pollinators are specific to their fig-hosts: there are ca. 525 Indo-Australian species of Ficus known and ca. 200 species and subspecies of Agaoninae, classified in eleven genera (and four subgenera). Keys are presented to genera... | |
 | Butterfly Gardens: Luring Nature's Loveliest Pollinators to Your Yard (21st-Century Gardening Series) Butterflies are some of nature’s loveliest and most intriguing pollinators. In this handbook, explore the detailed, practical information offered on dozen of butterflies—all spectacularly illustrated in color—as well as a comprehensive encyclopedia of nectar plants for the... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |