Pollination

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Pollination

• Most flowers are adapted to receive pollen from
  another plant (outbreeding)
  
• Vectors for transferring pollen
• wind
• water
• animals

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SEM photos of pollen
Ragweed
Dandelion
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Attraction

• To first attract an animal pollinator, plants
  have evolved two general types of cues
  
• Visual
• Olfactory

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Attraction

• To first attract an animal pollinator, plants
  have evolved two general types of cues
  
• Visual
• Olfactory
• For repeat visits, a reward is usually necessay
• eg. nectar, pollen, oils, place to mate or rest

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Visual cues - examples

• Bullseye
• Color contrast that creates a target

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Pollinator vision

• Pollinators often see different wavelengths than
  we do

Gaillardia - butterflies and bees
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Pollinator vision

• Pollinators often see different wavelengths than
  we do
  
• Bees miss the red wavelengths but see UV

Gaillardia - butterflies and bees
No red UV
BW photo
No red
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Rewards -Nectar guides

• Violets - note the bullseye and the dark lines
  (nectar guides)
  
• Bullseye shows opening to spur and nectar

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Nectar spurs

• Limits the type of pollinator that can gain the
  reward
  
• Keeps pollen transfer within species
• Orientation is
• typical for
• hummingbird
• flowers

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Combination

• Bird must line up red/yellow bullseye with dark
  red one
  
• As it moves in, it brushes stigmas first, then
  anthers with its head

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Mechanical help
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