ISSN:
1432-1939
Keywords:
Pollination
;
Archilochus colubris
;
Impatiens capensis
;
Hummingbird
;
Flower morphology
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Flexible pedicels are characteristic of birdpollinated plants, yet have received little attention in studies of hummingbird-flower interactions. A major implication of flexible pedicels is that flowers may move during pollination. We examined whether such motion affected interactions between ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) and jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) by increasing pollen deposition and by altering the effectiveness of nectar removal. For I. capensis, flower mobility enhanced pollen deposition: birds had significantly longer contact with anthers and more pollen deposited on their bills and crowns when foraging at mobile flowers than at flowers that had been experimentally immobilized. In contrast, flower mobility imposed a cost on hummingbirds by significantly increasing their handling times and reducing their extraction rates relative to their interactions with immobile flowers. Field observations indicated that the motion observed during hummingbird visits did not occur when bees (Bombus spp., Apis mellifera) visited I. capensis flowers, which suggests that the mobility of I. capensis flowers is an adaptation for hummingbird pollination.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00328553
Permalink
