EEB440H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter N/A: Oligolecty, Pollination, Color Space
27 Apr 2016
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Generalization in pollination systems, and why it matters summary. Pollinator generalization is predicted when floral rewards are similar across plant species, travel is costly, constraints of behaviour and morphology are minor, and/or pollinator lifespan is long relative to flowering of individual plant species. Pollination syndromes are suites of floral traits proposed to reflect adaptations to one or another pollinator type roughly at the level of orders or above. Oligiolecty is used to describe bee species that specialize in collecting pollen from one genus/species. Pretty much everything suggests some degree of generalization. Suggestion that generalization (polylecty) has evolved repeatedly from oligolecty. Bee touches the flower, oh, that counts as an interaction! (overestimate). Surveys occur over small spaces, leading to underestimating generalization. A different approach: surveys of floral phenotype space. Reject the idea that clusters of flower colour represent syndromes by which plants address specific groups of potential visitors.
