Exploitation of a specialized mutualism by a deceptive orchid

Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2005 papers

Abstract

Plants that lack floral rewards may nevertheless attract pollinators through mimetic resemblance to the flowers of co-occurring rewarding plants. We show how a deceptive orchid (Disa nivea) successfully exploits a reciprocally specialized mutualism between a nectar-producing plant (Zaluzianskya microsiphon) and its long-proboscid fly pollinator (Prosoeca ganglbaueri). Disa nivea is a rare southern African orchid known only from habitats that support large populations of Z. microsiphon, which it closely resembles in both general morphology and floral spectral reflectance. Significant covariation in floral traits of Z. microsiphon and D. nivea was detected among populations. Where mimics are uncommon, flies do not appear to discriminate between the flowers of the two species. Pollination success in D. nivea was much higher at a site with abundant Z. microsiphon plants than at a site where Z. microsiphon was rare. Exploitation of a highly specialized mutualism appears to demand a high degree of phenotypic resemblance to a rewarding model by a deceptive mimic, as exemplified by D. nivea. The majority of deceptive orchids, on the other hand, exploit relatively generalized pollination systems and thus require only a vague resemblance to rewarding plants in the community in order to attract pollinators.

Related Papers

• → EFFECT OF THE NEMATODE PHASMARHABDITIS HERMAPHRODITA ON YOUNGSTAGES OF THE PEST SLUG ARION LUSITANICUS(2002)40 cited
• → Cloning and Characterization of Rat BAT3 cDNA(1999)20 cited
• → Anthoxanthum Mosaic Virus(1970)6 cited
• → HLA-B-associated transcript 3 (Bat3)/Scythe is essential for p300-mediated acetylation of p53(2007)127 cited
• → ИСПОЛЬЗОВAНИЕ ПОТЕНЦИAЛA СОЦИAЛЬНЫХ ПAРТНЕРОВ В ПОДГОТОВКЕ БУДУЩИХ ПЕДAГОГОВ(2024)