scholarly journals Pollinators show flower colour preferences but flowers with similar colours do not attract similar pollinators

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Reverté ◽  
Javier Retana ◽  
José M. Gómez ◽  
Jordi Bosch
Keyword(s):  
Flower Colour ◽  
Colour Preferences

scholarly journals Australian native flower colours: does nectar reward drive bee pollinator flower preferences?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mani Shrestha ◽  
Jair E Garcia ◽  
Martin Burd ◽  
Adrian G Dyer
Keyword(s):  
Flower Colour ◽  
Chromatic Contrast ◽  
Nectar Volume ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Flower Colours ◽  
Colour Category ◽  
Colour Preferences ◽  
Nectar Rewards ◽  
Colour Signals

AbstractColour is an important signal that flowering plants use to attract insect pollinators like bees. Previous research in Germany has shown that nectar volume is higher for flower colours that are innately preferred by European bees, suggesting an important link between colour signals, bee preferences and floral rewards. In Australia, flower colour signals have evolved in parallel to the Northern hemisphere to enable easy discrimination and detection by the phylogenetically ancient trichromatic visual system of bees, and native Australian bees also possess similar innate colour preferences to European bees. We measured 59 spectral signatures from flowers present at two preserved native habitats in South Eastern Australia and tested whether there were any significant differences in the frequency of flowers presenting higher nectar rewards depending upon the colour category of the flower signals, as perceived by bees. We also tested if there was a significant correlation between chromatic contrast and the frequency of flowers presenting higher nectar rewards. For the entire sample, and for subsets excluding species in the Asteraceae and Orchidaceae, we found no significant difference among colour categories in the frequency of high nectar reward. This suggests that whilst such relationships between flower colour signals and nectar volume rewards have been observed at a field site in Germany, the effect is likely to be specific at a community level rather than a broad general principle that has resulted in the common signalling of bee flower colours around the world.

scholarly journals Flower visitation by hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in a temperate plant-pollinator network

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klecka ◽  
Jiří Hadrava ◽  
Paolo Biella ◽  
Asma Akter
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Consistent Difference ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Inflorescence Size ◽  
Flower Visitation ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Visitation Frequency ◽  
Colour Preferences

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are among the most important pollinators, although they attract less attention than bees. They are usually thought to be rather opportunistic flower visitors, although previous studied demonstrated that they show colour preferences and their nectar feeding is affected by morphological constraints related to flower morphology. Despite the growing appreciation of hoverflies and other non-bee insects as pollinators, there is a lack of community-wide studies of flower visitation by syrphids. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of flower visitation patterns in a species rich community of syrphids in a Central European grassland and to evaluate how species traits shape the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network. We found that different species varied in the level of specialisation, and while some species visited a similar spectre of flowers, others partitioned resources more strongly. There was a consistent difference in both specialisation and flower preferences between three syrphid subfamilies. Eristalinae and Pipizinae were more specialised than Syrphinae. Trait-based analyses showed that relative flower visitation i) increased with plant height, but most strongly in Eristalinae; ii) increased with inflorescence size in small species from all three subfamilies, but was independent of inflorescence size in large species of Eristalinae and Syrphinae; and iii) depended on flower colour, but in a subfamily-specific way. Eristalinae showed the strongest flower colour preferences for white flowers, Pipizinae visited mostly white and yellow flowers, while Syrphinae were less affected by flower colour. Exploration of the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network showed that the network was both modular and nested. We also found that there were almost no differences in specialisation and relative visitation frequency between males and females. Overall, we showed that flower visitation in syrphids was affected by phylogenetic relatedness, body size of syrphids and several plant traits.

scholarly journals Flower visitation by hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in a temperate plant-pollinator network

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e6025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klecka ◽  
Jiří Hadrava ◽  
Paolo Biella ◽  
Asma Akter
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Consistent Difference ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Inflorescence Size ◽  
Flower Visitation ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Visitation Frequency ◽  
Colour Preferences

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are among the most important pollinators, although they attract less attention than bees. They are usually thought to be rather opportunistic flower visitors, although previous studied demonstrated that they show colour preferences and their nectar feeding is affected by morphological constraints related to flower morphology. Despite the growing appreciation of hoverflies and other non-bee insects as pollinators, there is a lack of community-wide studies of flower visitation by syrphids. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of flower visitation patterns in a species rich community of syrphids in a Central European grassland and to evaluate how species traits shape the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network. We found that different species varied in the level of specialisation, and while some species visited a similar spectre of flowers, others partitioned resources more strongly. There was a consistent difference in both specialisation and flower preferences between three syrphid subfamilies. Eristalinae and Pipizinae were more specialised than Syrphinae. Trait-based analyses showed that relative flower visitation (i) increased with plant height, but most strongly in Eristalinae; (ii) increased with inflorescence size in small species from all three subfamilies, but was independent of inflorescence size in large species of Eristalinae and Syrphinae; and (iii) depended on flower colour, but in a subfamily-specific way. Eristalinae showed the strongest flower colour preferences for white flowers, Pipizinae visited mostly white and yellow flowers, while Syrphinae were less affected by flower colour. Exploration of the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network showed that the network was both modular and nested. We also found that there were almost no differences in specialisation and relative visitation frequency between males and females. Overall, we showed that flower visitation in syrphids was affected by phylogenetic relatedness, body size of syrphids and several plant traits.

scholarly journals Honeybees adjust colour preferences in response to concurrent social information from conspecifics and heterospecifics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
José E Romero-González ◽  
Cwyn Solvi ◽  
Lars Chittka
Keyword(s):  
Bombus Terrestris ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Foraging Decisions ◽  
Flower Type ◽  
Colour Preferences ◽  
Adaptive Foraging ◽  
Natural Preference

AbstractBees efficiently learn asocial and social cues to optimise foraging from fluctuating floral resources. However, it remains unclear how bees respond to divergent sources of social information, and whether such social cues might modify bees’ natural preferences for non-social cues (e.g. flower colour), hence affecting foraging decisions. Here, we investigated honeybees’ (Apis mellifera) inspection and choices of unfamiliar flowers based on both natural colour preferences and simultaneous foraging information from conspecifics and heterospecifics. Individual honeybees’ preferences for flowers were recorded when the reward levels of a learned flower type had declined and novel-coloured flowers were available where they would find either no social information or one conspecific and one heterospecific (Bombus terrestris), each foraging from a different coloured flower (magenta or yellow). Honeybees showed a natural preference for magenta flowers. Honeybees modified their inspection of both types of flowers in response to conspecific and heterospecific social information. The presence of either demonstrator on the less-preferred yellow flower increased honeybees’ inspection of yellow flowers. Conspecific social information influenced observers’ foraging choices of yellow flowers, thus outweighing their original preference for magenta flowers. This effect was not elicited by heterospecific social information. Our results indicate that flower colour preferences of honeybees are rapidly adjusted in response to conspecific social information, which in turn is preferred over heterospecific information, possibly favouring the transmission of adaptive foraging information within species.

scholarly journals Flower visitation by hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in a temperate plant-pollinator network

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klecka ◽  
Jiří Hadrava ◽  
Paolo Biella ◽  
Asma Akter
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Consistent Difference ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Inflorescence Size ◽  
Flower Visitation ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Visitation Frequency ◽  
Colour Preferences

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are among the most important pollinators, although they attract less attention than bees. They are usually thought to be rather opportunistic flower visitors, although previous studied demonstrated that they show colour preferences and their nectar feeding is affected by morphological constraints related to flower morphology. Despite the growing appreciation of hoverflies and other non-bee insects as pollinators, there is a lack of community-wide studies of flower visitation by syrphids. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of flower visitation patterns in a species rich community of syrphids in a Central European grassland and to evaluate how species traits shape the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network. We found that different species varied in the level of specialisation, and while some species visited a similar spectre of flowers, others partitioned resources more strongly. There was a consistent difference in both specialisation and flower preferences between three syrphid subfamilies. Eristalinae and Pipizinae were more specialised than Syrphinae. Trait-based analyses showed that relative flower visitation i) increased with plant height, but most strongly in Eristalinae; ii) increased with inflorescence size in small species from all three subfamilies, but was independent of inflorescence size in large species of Eristalinae and Syrphinae; and iii) depended on flower colour, but in a subfamily-specific way. Eristalinae showed the strongest flower colour preferences for white flowers, Pipizinae visited mostly white and yellow flowers, while Syrphinae were less affected by flower colour. Exploration of the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network showed that the network was both modular and nested. We also found that there were almost no differences in specialisation and relative visitation frequency between males and females. Overall, we showed that flower visitation in syrphids was affected by phylogenetic relatedness, body size of syrphids and several plant traits.

scholarly journals Butterflies as Signal Receivers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Lee Jessica Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Egg Load ◽  
Mating Frequency ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Initial Preference ◽  
Population Structures ◽  
Behavioural Experiments ◽  
Colour Preferences ◽  
Flower Choice

This thesis examines the existence of colour preferences in butterflies. Two polymorphic species - the Mocker Swallowtail (Papilio dardanus) and the Silver-Washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) are used as study species. Both the basis of colour preferences in mate choice and flower choice during feeding, and the implications of the preferences for the evolution of the species and morphs are investigated.In the Silver Washed Fritillary a non-genetically determined preference exists for highly saturated orange coloration in both mate and flower choice. This is shown not to be due to a bias for orange in colour reception through the use of electroretinograms, measuring the electrical output of the retina when exposed to light of varying wavelengths. It has not been possible, however, to rule out the possibility that the preference for the most common, orange, female morph is learnt.The flower colour preferences of the Mocker Swallowtail are investigated, and it isdemonstrated that individuals show an initial preference for blue flowers, and also learn rapidly to feed off flowers of other colours that prove profitable. Their decision to try flowers of other colours is shown to be influenced by the behaviour of other individuals. In previous mate choice experiments, experienced males of the species have been shown to have a preference for the most common, black and white, morph. The colours of the morphs and the spectral sensitivities of the butterflies are analysed quantitatively. The initial and subsequent preferences of naive males are investigated in behavioural experiments, and a possible influence of learning on their subsequent choices is discovered. No influence of female choice is found. This information is then used to create a mathematical model of the population structure, for which it is also necessary to determine the relative palatabilities of the model and mimic, and the mating frequency of wild males. The model demonstrates how the observed population structures might arise through evolutionary time.Measurements of the morphology of males and females of Papilio dardanus, and one of its putative models, Danaus chrysippus, shows that in Papilio dardanus females the centre of gravity is positioned significantly further back than in males and in Danaus chrysippus. This positioning far from the wing base has already been shown to handicap an individual escaping from a predator due to decreased acrobatic ability. It has also already been shown that mimetic species tend to have centres of mass positioned further back than non-mimetic species, and hence it is possible that the position of a centre of mass of a butterfly (and its effect on agility) may be a factor in the evolution of mimicry in a species or (where females carry a large egg load) in females of a species only.

Flower colour preferences of Aporia bieti (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) in the Xiama Forest Farm, Gansu, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 345-350
Author(s):  
Shuqiu Zhang ◽  
Jimin Han ◽  
Quan Qian ◽  
Jing Zhao ◽  
Xiuping Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flower Colour ◽  
Colour Preferences ◽  
Forest Farm

scholarly journals Flower visitation by hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in a temperate plant-pollinator network

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klecka ◽  
Jiří Hadrava ◽  
Paolo Biella ◽  
Asma Akter
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Consistent Difference ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Inflorescence Size ◽  
Flower Visitation ◽  
Nectar Feeding ◽  
Visitation Frequency ◽  
Colour Preferences

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) are among the most important pollinators, although they attract less attention than bees. They are usually thought to be rather opportunistic flower visitors, although previous studied demonstrated that they show colour preferences and their nectar feeding is affected by morphological constraints related to flower morphology. Despite the growing appreciation of hoverflies and other non-bee insects as pollinators, there is a lack of community-wide studies of flower visitation by syrphids. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed analysis of flower visitation patterns in a species rich community of syrphids in a Central European grassland and to evaluate how species traits shape the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network. We found that different species varied in the level of specialisation, and while some species visited a similar spectre of flowers, others partitioned resources more strongly. There was a consistent difference in both specialisation and flower preferences between three syrphid subfamilies. Eristalinae and Pipizinae were more specialised than Syrphinae. Trait-based analyses showed that relative flower visitation i) increased with plant height, but most strongly in Eristalinae; ii) increased with inflorescence size in small species from all three subfamilies, but was independent of inflorescence size in large species of Eristalinae and Syrphinae; and iii) depended on flower colour, but in a subfamily-specific way. Eristalinae showed the strongest flower colour preferences for white flowers, Pipizinae visited mostly white and yellow flowers, while Syrphinae were less affected by flower colour. Exploration of the structure of the plant-hoverfly flower visitation network showed that the network was both modular and nested. We also found that there were almost no differences in specialisation and relative visitation frequency between males and females. Overall, we showed that flower visitation in syrphids was affected by phylogenetic relatedness, body size of syrphids and several plant traits.

Butterflies show flower colour preferences but not constancy in foraging at four plant species

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
NELIDA B. POHL ◽  
JENNIFER VAN WYK ◽  
DIANE R. CAMPBELL
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Flower Colour ◽  
Colour Preferences
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