What types of deception do flowers use to attract pollinators (i.e. what motivates pollinator visitation in the absence of nectar)?
Answers
For flowers of such kind (i.e where there is no nectar) flowers cluster together to form a bunch of flowers to attract the pollinators this is called inflorescence.
In other cases such flowers are known to produce some fowl odour that somehow attract pollinators.
In some other cases the flower petals looks like the opposite gender of that particular pollinators this is called pseudocopulation. This is seen in case of the orchid ophrys and bee .
Nature has given many ways for a particular organism to thrive in its localities and it is this same nature which has the power to wipe out an entire species for example if suppose the bees has undergone a change in its colour then the orchid can only survive if it also make a change in its appearance or else it will be wiped out of nature's list.
All the above are examples of deceptive pollination i.e sending a false information to the pollinators imitating some rewarding condition.
Sexual deception is the type of deception do flowers use to attract pollinators.
Explanation:
- One of the most remarkable strategies to achieve pollination without providing any reward to the pollinator is sexual deception.
- Sexual deception is a pollination strategy in which rewardless flowers secure pollination by the sexual attraction of male insects through a female's chemical and physical mimicry.
- Sexually deceptive orchids attract their pollinators by imitating the sex pheromone of receptive females.
- The majority of flowering plants encourage insects to visit their flowers by secreting a sugar-rich liquid called nectar.
- Flowers are designed to attract pollinators with vibrant colors and alluring fragrances, and in return, the pollinators feed on the flowers' nectar and pollen.