Chemical basis of a highly specific mutualism: Chiral esters attract pollinating beetles in Eupomatiaceae

Floral scents: their roles in nursery pollination mutualisms

“…However, if scent is a determinant component of hostspecificity in highly specialized nursery pollination systems, one could expect that specific attraction of pollinators may be achieved through the existence of a private sensory channel: the potential for exclusive communication via unique signals and receptors (Bergström et al 1991;Schaefer et al 2004;Raguso 2008a). The existence or not of private channels in nursery pollination mutualisms, or indeed in any pollination system, is still debated (Raguso 2008c).…”

The Pollination of Mid Mesozoic Seed Plants and the Early History of Long-proboscid Insects1,2,3

“…As originally defined, with subsequent modification, a pollination syndrome consists of a group of functionally related floral characters and behaviors that collectively are consistent with pollination by a similarly distinctive functional taxonomic group of animals that have convergent feeding strategies, functionally similar mouthpart types or foraging behaviors that access floral rewards in the same way. Floral rewards typically are nectar and pollen, but also include oils, resins, mating sites, warm resting places, and other less obvious attributes (Baker & Baker, 1979;Pellmyr & Thien, 1986;Haslett, 1989a;Thien et al, 1990;Bergstrom et al, 1991;Donaldson, 1992;Lopes & Machado, 1998;Azuma et al, 1999;Jurgens et al, 2000;Frame, 2003;Seymour & Matthews, 2006). Becently, the traditional notion of pollination syndromes, e.g., beetle-pollinated flowers (cantharophily), small fly-pollinated flowers (myiophily), and bee-pollinated flowers (melittophily), has been shown to be inconsistent with the realized spectrum of visiting animals.…”

“…Lures and rewards enticing insect visitation include heat from host thermogenesis (Roemer et al, 2005), provision of mating sites (Petersson & Hasselrot, 1994), aroma produced by volatile compounds (Bergstrom et al, 1991), as well as the typical rewards of pollen and nectar. Entrapment is accomplished by a fascinating array of recurved trichomes at entry sites, initially allowing one-way access and subsequent release, stiff tissues that provide unidirectional entry that later deliquesces and provides for an exit, or closure devices such as flexibly hinged lids.…”

Pollination by Monkey Beetles (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini): Do Color and Dark Centers of Flowers Influence Alighting Behavior?

“…Classical beetle pollination systems are usually associated with dull-colored ßowers that use scent as the primary signal for pollinator attraction (Faegri and van der Pijl 1971;Bergstrom et al 1991). This is exempliÞed in the "mess and soil" pollination of magnoliids, some woody eudicotyledons, and aroids by large crepuscular beetles (Faegri and van der Pijl 1971).…”