The Deceptive Pollination Practice in Plants and Flowers: Nutritive Mimicry

557 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Plant reproduction essays

Despite the popular belief that all flowers have an equal opportunity when it comes to attracting pollinators the competition over the basic needs of angiosperms causes the practice of deceptive pollination to be very common. Pollination is in most cases a mutualistic relationship that requires some form of benefit to both the pollinator and the flowering plant. The pollinator is attracted to a flower that looks like they can offer food or shelter. However if the flower lacks the benefit of a reward there is a low chance that the pollinator would find the flower desirable enough to pollinate. It is estimated that a large portion of angiosperms are non-rewarding, as a result most rely on the use of other pollination strategies, such as deception to attract pollinators. In deceptive pollination when a flower advertises a reward that they do not actually posses it is known as mimicry. There are two types of mimicry when it comes to deceptive pollination. The awards that the flower mimics are either nutritive or reproductive.
Nutritive mimicry is when a non-rewarding flower mimics the appearance of a rewarding flower that provides food for the pollinator. Over a period of time the flowers that rely on nutritive mimicry have adapted to mirror the appearance of rewarding flowers. However the mimic is not an exact depiction of the model flower in which they aspire to mirror. This is why it is beneficial for the deceptive flowers to bloom slightly before their model species, as it has been theorized that it does not require a strong resemblance in appearance. In order to increase the chances of pollination the species of mimics have slightly different mimics to the same model flower. These multiples of species of mimics make it difficu...

... middle of paper ...

...h fertilization through deceptive pollination strategies. Actively evolving group with highly specialized adaptations for attracting, deceiving, and manipulating insects (Dressler 1).

Works Cited

Pat Willmer, Pollination and Floral Ecology (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011), 524.
Ibid. , 525.
Pat Willmer, Pollination and Floral Ecology (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011), 536.Dressler, L. Robert. The Orchids: Natural History and Classification. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1981.

Lack, Andrew, Proctor, Michael, Yeo, Peter. The Natural History of Pollination. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1996.

Willmer, Pat. Pollination and Floral Ecology. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011.

Sporne, K.R. The Morphology of Angiosperms. New York, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1975.

Show More
Related

  • Background Research on the Goldenrod Gallfly Eurosta Solidaginis

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wise, M. J., Abrahamson, W. G., & Cole, J. A. (2010).The role of nodding stems in the goldenrod–gall–fly interaction: A test of the “ducking” hypothesis. Manuscript submitted for publication, Available from American Journal of Botany. (0900227)Retrieved from http://www.amjbot.org/content/97/3/525.full

    Read More

  • Good and Evil in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path and Flannery O'Conner's A Good Man is Hard to Find

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lehner, Ernst, and Johanna Lehner. Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees. New York: Tudor. 1960

    Read More

  • Ant: An Analysis Of Ants And Eusocial Insects

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of

    Read More

  • Rachel Ruyschs' Still Life with Flowers on a Marble Tabletop

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early 16th century the Netherlands experienced what was called “tulip mania” this was the beginning of the nations love for flora and foliage (Taylor 13). The result of this impressive flower invasion was a society that took a historical turn from which the results still remain today. Flower merchants, botanists and floral still life artists, were occupations that were an accurate reflection of the Netherlands demands (Brown). An interesting example of a life that was effected by, and devoted to the archiving of the flower craze was Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750) the 17th century Dutch flower painter. Rachel Ruyschs’ career straddled the 17th and 18th century, and her stunningly accurate floral pieces reflect the maturing, yet evolving art of floral still life painting (“Rachel Ruysch: Bibliography”). Ruyschs’ Still Life with Flowers on a Marble Tabletop (1716) is an excellent example of a painting that appropriately represents the genre of art that was created solely through specific societal events.

    Read More

  • The Market Revolution On American Society

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crowning of Flora. 1816. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. Brief Third ed. Vol. One. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 274. Print.

    Read More

  • The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main symbolic image that the flowers provide is that of life; in the first chapter of the novel Offred says “…flowers: these are not to be dismissed. I am alive.” Many of the flowers Offred encounters are in or around the house where she lives; it can be suggested that this array of floral life is a substitute for the lack of human life, birth and social interaction. The entire idea of anything growing can be seen as a substitute for a child growing. The Commander’s house contains many pictures; as they are visual images, “flowers are still allowed.” Later, when Serena is “snipping off the seed pods with a pair of shears… aiming, positioning the blades… The fruiting body,” it seems that all life is being eradicated, even that of the flowers.

    Read More

  • Cruel and Unusual Punishment

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. New York, New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.

    Read More

  • Essay On Pros And Cons Of Pollination

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    So either way none of them win there both good to the environment and both have major pros and cons. But selective pollination can also have many advantages and disadvantages. The advantages for having selective pollination is that they have a way better production rate and can make extremely good products from this chosen flowers or or specific plants. Another pro of selective pollination is that it can produce and attract stronger pollinators. With this these stronger pollinators can make the plant give off extremely good production and can make the plant almost irresisstable. The major cons of selective pollination is that since it can only be pollinated by specific pollinators the pollination process is not the fastest it can be. Cause generalist can be pollinated by almost anything and have a great pollination rate. Another con is of safety, because of this selective pollination these plants do not have the best of safety and cannot face any hardships when they come into the picture. The last topic is Correlation between morphology and function in terms of pollination. Some pollination systems, such as buzz‐pollination, are associated with floral morphologies that require a close physical interaction between floral sexual organs and insect

    Read More

  • Symbiotic Relationship Between Figs And Fig Wasps

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    Active pollinators participate in a specific mode of collecting pollen from within the fig fruit and then transport it out. Passive pollination however occurs when the wasp does not change behavior in any way to collect pollen; instead the fig fruit produces enough pollen to cover the wasp in pollen prior to exiting the fig. In actively pollinated fig species pollen transfer entirely depends on wasp morphology and specialized pollinating behavior. Female wasps scratch out pollen and store it in specialized thoracic pollen packets (Galil & Snitzer-Pasternak, 1970). When wasps enters fig, they transfer pollen grains and oviposit at the same time in ovaries (Galil & Snitzer-Pasternak, 1970). Depending on what kind of pollinators it has, fig species differs in pollen production (Jander, Charlotte & Herre, 2010). Passively pollinated fig species produce numerous, large male flowers that release abundant pollen onto the wasps as they leave the fig to disperse. Therefore, in these fig species, trees invest considerable resources in producing abundant pollen. They do not rely on pollinators to conduct any special behavior (Jander, Charlotte & Herre, 2010). On the other side, in active pollination, the fig does not have to invest as much energy. Therefore they produce a smaller number of male flowers that are also smaller in size (Jander, Charlotte & Herre,

    Read More

  • The Importance of Bees to the Environment

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pollinators are very important to the environment because many plant species rely on reproduction to be carried out by pollination1. Bees are dependent on plants for pollen and nectar and in return, are the most common pollinator of plant species and around 90 percent of plants require pollination by an animal7. Bees are used in farming, both for pollinating crops and for producing honey, and the estimated value of bees to the United Kingdom is £400 million per year9. Plants are the primary producers in many food webs and, as so many are dependent on pollination in order to reproduce, a decline in pollinators would have a detrimental effect on whole ecosystems. Therefore, the declining numbers of pollinators, particularly bees, are a cause of concern because of the environmental knock-on effects.

    Read More

  • Sunflowers: The Flower That Can Adapt, Diversity, and Substainability

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    The sunflower, original only to the Americas, has become one of the most important plants throughout the world due to its adaptability, diversity, and sustainability. It is a key component in cooking, human health, soil detoxification, and has been use in medicine, art and poetry.

    Read More

  • The Nymphaeaceae Family: The Family Of The Water Lily Family

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    These flowers also have a wide range of colors; white, yellow, blue, pink, and red. They are bisexual and may either be protogynous, perigynous, or epigenous flowers. The flowers themselves have many stamen and petals depending on the genera that it is a part of. From research the main parts of the flowers that are investigated are the initiation of stamen, sepals, carpels and petals of the flower and also the phyllotaxy or arrangement of the petals and sepals of the flower. Initiation is the way the stamen can be inside of the flower. The initiations of stamens are simultaneously multi-whorled and those of carpels are simultaneously single-whorled in the Nymphaeaceae family (Guang-Wan and others, 2009 ). Furthermore, there are other characteristics of this family that make them quite interesting and this is due to the fact of their blooming and size. This flower can bloom night or day, Nymphaea genera does both, and will become dormant after each blooming and can become up to 15 inches wide, those are mainly found in the Victoria genera. The most important part of the flower is reproduction and pollination. These two actions are different than in other flowering plants because they are submerged in

    Read More

  • Sex Sells Video Games and Insecurity

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    As I continued on to the next level, I encountered an elderly bee, who had one last dying wish--A wish that I would soon fulfill. Oh, sweet pollination. It is the only way to make honey, and the only way for me to move on to the next level. I must help him. However, the elderly bee only wanted to pollinate one specific flower, "the sunflower with the big breasts." The sunflower was unwilling to corporate. Then, as I walked away, I encountered a swarm of bees, who only had one objective, to tickle. A lit light bulb then appeared above my head. I had an epiphany. I gathered all of the tickling bees, and forced them to tickle "the sunflower with the big breasts," thus exposing her breast, and allowing the elderly bee to pollinate her. The conservative sunflower, then became a passive, hypersexualized ideal of a woman--the woman that I subconsciously wanted to be.

    Read More

  • Insects Pollination

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    Insect pollination as we all know, is the process that enables reproduction and fertilization by the transfer of pollen performed by insects. Insects are some of the oldest pollinators of plants. Pollinating insects date back to 140 million years ago. Since then, due to how effective insect pollinators are, these flowering plants have become the major group of terrestrial vascular plants. Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms, have imperative roles within our ecosystems, both natural and agricultural. For instance, insects provide food, fiber and shelter for wildlife and humankind alike (2007). It is commonly know that in humans, high levels of fruit and vegetable consumption are associated with decreased risk of chronic disease (Calderone 2012). Aside from these important roles, plants have also been considered as a viable option for fuel sources (Calderone 2012). There are around 300,00 species of flowering plants in the world and without pollination, the reproductive process would be very difficult since pollination causes the production of seeds (Calderone 2012). Of the 300,000 plant species worldwide, a little over 3,000 of these plants have been used as a source of food. Close to 300 of these species are grown around the world today and only 12 of these plants make up about 90 percent of the food sources in our world. These 12 include the grains...

    Read More

  • Cross Pollinators And Cross-Pollination

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    A recent survey has revealed that only a small percentage of the population of the world understands the process of Pollination or the diversity of beneficial animals involved in the process. For most humans, the world pollen means allergies and bees mean STING. Well for their knowledge, every one out of the three bites you eat, you should be thankful to the very pests you shoo away or kill-the bee, the bat, insects and animals otherwise known as pollinators.

    Read More

More about The Deceptive Pollination Practice in Plants and Flowers: Nutritive Mimicry

Open Document