Caught in the act: pollination of sexually deceptive trap-flowers by fungus gnats in Pterostylis (Orchidaceae)

Phillips, Ryan D.; Scaccabarozzi, Daniela; Retter, Bryony A.; Hayes, Christine; Brown, G. R.; Dixon, Kingsley W.; Peakall, Rod

doi:10.1093/aob/mct295

Cited by 81 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(117 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, further experimental work is needed to evaluate whether males perceive tactilely similarly flowers and females. Telipogon flowers present some characteristics of the typical insectiform floral structures present in sexually deceptive orchids such as the presence of hairs and pronounced structures and the dull colours at the flower centre [24]; however, Telipogon has other characteristics that are not usual in sexually deceptive orchids such as petals as large as the labellum, a slight dimorphism between the petal and labellum and relatively large flowers. Other sexually deceptive species, such as many Ophrys and Chiloglottis species, are clearly insectiform and show only a physical mimicry to the females of their pollinators [12, 15, 57, 59, 63].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sexually-aroused males usually show copulatory behaviour with the flower (so-called pseudocopulation); during these processes, the pollinia are attached to the male insect bodies and are later transferred to the stigma of another flower, thereby pollinating it [12, 26–29]. Three key factors indicate the occurrence of sexual deception in a pollination system (for details see criteria in [24]): (a) only adult males act as pollinators; (b) the pollinators develop pre-copulatory or copulatory behaviour on the flower; (c) only one or two pollinator species are usually involved in the syndrome (see [15, 24–25, 30]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Telipogon peruvianus (Orchidaceae) Flowers Elicit Pre-Mating Behaviour in Eudejeania (Tachinidae) Males for Pollination

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Several neotropical orchid genera have been proposed as being sexually deceptive; however, this has been carefully tested in only a few cases. The genus Telipogon has long been assumed to be pollinated by male tachinid flies during pseudocopulatory events but no detailed confirmatory reports are available. Here, we have used an array of methods to elucidate the pollination mechanism in Telipogon peruvianus. The species presents flowers that have a mean floral longevity of 33 days and that are self-compatible, although spontaneous self-pollination does not occur. The flowers attract males of four tachinid species but only the males of an undescribed Eudejeania (Eudejeania aff. browni; Tachinidae) species are specific pollinators. Males visit the flowers during the first few hours of the day and the pollination success is very high (42% in one patch) compared with other sexually deceptive species. Female-seeking males are attracted to the flowers but do not attempt copulation with the flowers, as is usually described in sexually deceptive species. Nevertheless, morphological analysis and behavioural tests have shown an imperfect mimicry between flowers and females suggesting that the attractant stimulus is not based only on visual cues, as long thought. Challenging previous conclusions, our chemical analysis has confirmed that flowers of Telipogon release volatile compounds; however, the role of these volatiles in pollinator behaviour remains to be established. Pollinator behaviour and histological analyses indicate that Telipogon flowers possess scent-producing structures throughout the corolla. Our study provides the first confirmed case of (i) a sexually deceptive species in the Onciidinae, (ii) pollination by pre-copulatory behaviour and (iii) pollination by sexual deception involving tachinid flies.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telipogon peruvianus (Orchidaceae) Flowers Elicit Pre-Mating Behaviour in Eudejeania (Tachinidae) Males for Pollination

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, new discoveries of sexual deception continue to be made both within (e.g., Phillips et al. ) and beyond the Orchidaceae (e.g., within a daisy [Ellis and Johnson ] and an iris [Vereecken et al. ]).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollinator Specificity Drives Strong Prepollination Reproductive Isolation in Sympatric Sexually Deceptive Orchids

Whitehead

Peakall

2014

Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Consequently, the flower form seems to mediate efficient pollen transfer in Ophrys predominantly by ensuring the mechanical fit between the flowers and their pollinators rather than by providing a visual signal to approaching males. This result is consistent with other recent experimental studies that investigated the function of floral form in a diverse spectrum of sexually deceptive systems (Gögler et al ., ; Phillips et al ., ; Phillips et al ., ; De Jager & Peakall, ). Further studies are, however, needed to clarify the contribution of floral form to visual attraction in sexually deceptive systems, a contribution that may strongly vary between species (Benitez‐Vieyra et al ., ; De Jager & Peakall, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Looks matter: changes in flower form affect pollination effectiveness in a sexually deceptive orchid

Rákosy¹,

Cuervo²,

Paulus

et al. 2017

J of Evolutionary Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many species of the sexually deceptive genus Ophrys are characterized by insect-like flowers. Their form has been traditionally considered to play an important role in pollinator attraction and manipulation. Yet, the evolution of the floral form remains insufficiently understood. We hypothesize that pollinator-mediated selection is essential for driving floral form evolution in Ophrys, but that form components are being subjected to varying selection pressures depending on their role in mediating interactions with pollinators. By using the Eucera-pollinated Ophrys leochroma as a model, our aim has been to assess whether and in what manner pollination effectiveness is altered by experimental manipulation of the flower form. Our results show that floral form plays an essential and, so far, underestimated role in ensuring effective pollination by mechanically guiding pollinators towards the reproductive structures of the flower. Pollinators are significantly less effective in interacting with flowers having forms altered to resemble those of species pollinated by different hymenopteran genera. Further, those components used by pollinators as gripping points were found to be more effective in ensuring pollinia transfer than those with which pollinators do not directly interact. Thus, mechanically active and inactive components appear to be under different selection pressures. As a consequence, mechanically active components of the flower form could reflect adaptations to the interaction with particular pollinator groups, whereas mechanically inactive components can vary more freely. Disentangling selection patterns between the functionally different components of flower form may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms driving the morphological diversification of sexually deceptive pollination systems.

show abstract

Caught in the act: pollination of sexually deceptive trap-flowers by fungus gnats in Pterostylis (Orchidaceae)

Cited by 81 publications

References 64 publications

Telipogon peruvianus (Orchidaceae) Flowers Elicit Pre-Mating Behaviour in Eudejeania (Tachinidae) Males for Pollination

Telipogon peruvianus (Orchidaceae) Flowers Elicit Pre-Mating Behaviour in Eudejeania (Tachinidae) Males for Pollination

Pollinator Specificity Drives Strong Prepollination Reproductive Isolation in Sympatric Sexually Deceptive Orchids

Looks matter: changes in flower form affect pollination effectiveness in a sexually deceptive orchid

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About