BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Peter L Borst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 18 Aug 2014 08:49:26 -0400
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (23 lines)
It's tempting to assume that flower constancy evolved for the benefit of plants. The following quote demonstrates this conjecture:

The ecological meaning of flower constancy is easy to
see for the plants as well as for their visitors.
Constancy gives the flowers their only chance to be
pollinated with a sufficient amount of conspecific
pollen ... Kugler 1943

However, more recent studies have come to the opposite conclusion:

There is no good evidence that flowers have evolved
to favor constancy, or that constancy contributes to
the development of complete or nearly complete reproductive
isolation. However, there is good evidence *against* the
notion that pollinator constancy is involved in speciation or 
maintenance of plant species integrity.

Chittka, L., Thomson, J. D., & Waser, N. M. (1999). Flower constancy, insect psychology, and plant evolution. Naturwissenschaften, 86(8), 361-377.
             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

ATOM RSS1 RSS2