Orchids have adapted the shape of their flowers to attract pollinating wasps.
These flowering plants lure male insect pollinators by producing chemicals that mimic the pheromones of their female counterparts, but the effect of flower shape on pollinators has been unclear. To look at this, Marinus de Jager and Rod Peakall at the Australian National University in Canberra studied two species of Chiloglottis orchids that emit the same pheromone and the two species of Neozeleboria wasps that pollinate the flowers. They found that the wasps copulated more frequently and for longer periods of time (pictured) with the orchid that they normally pollinate.
The dimensions and colour of the preferred orchid's callus (the central part of the flower) closely resembled the respective female wasp, and the overall shape of the flower allowed the male wasp to fit better within it.
Orchids have adapted the shape of their flowers to attract pollinating wasps. These flowering plants lure male insect pollinators by producing chemicals that mimic the pheromones of their female counterparts, but the effect of flower shape on pollinators has been unclear.
An interesting modification of flower shape for insect pollination occurs in some orchids. A male insect mistakes the pattern on the orchid flower for the female species and tries to mate with it there by pollinating the flower. This phenomena is called. Pseudopollination.
The hammer orchid's flower mimics the female wasp looking upward for a male flying by, complete with a fake shiny head and furry body. The orchid even releases an enticing female wasp pheromone. When the male wasp tries to mate with the dummy female, he fails, but the orchid succeeds in getting pollen on the wasp.
Certain neotropical orchids (especially the genera Catasetum, Gongora, Stanhopea, and Vanilla) produce strong "medicinal" or flavoring scents that attract orchid bee males to their blossoms from a great distance.
Other orchids, such as species of Oncidium, produce flowers that resemble the males of certain territorial bees or wasps. Seen as competitors, these flowers are attacked. They are shaped in such a way that the attacking insect is inevitably placed in contact with the pollinia or stigma.
The name Man Orchid refers to the human shaped lip of the flower which, together with the sepals and petals which form a hood above the lip, gives the flower a strong resemblance to a small human figure. The plants grow to around 40cm tall and there are 5-10 basal leaves which are unmarked but clearly veined.
These flowers actually evolved to attract a certain female parasitic wasp that lay their eggs on spiders in their webs. Since the flowers look like spiders, The wasp lays the eggs on the flower and is covered with pollen.
This plant's strategy is to synchronize with the mating season of the thynnid wasp, attracting males by emitting a similar scent to that of the female. And since the orchid looks similar to the female, the male it attempts to mate with it.
Bee orchids mimic the shape and scent of bees in order to lure them into 'pseudocopulation', where the male insect attempts to mate with the flower. While the bee gets nothing but a wasted effort, the orchid transfers some of its pollen to the bee.
Here are the main requirements for proper orchid care
Avoid over watering as this can lead to root rot. Position your orchid in a bright windowsill facing east or west. Weekly feeding with a fertilizer designed for orchids. Repotting in fresh orchid mix when your orchid stops blooming.
Pollination in the Bee orchid (Ophrys apifera) is enhanced by reproductive mimicry and the pheremones that attract specific male bumblebees. Photo by Nancy Cotner.
Most orchid flowers have the same basic reproductive structures (Figure 1). A central structure known as the column is a unique adaptation of orchids that houses both the male (anther) and female (stigma) parts of the flower (Roberts and Dixon 2008).
Hummingbirds are thought to have started their evolutionary path toward orchids after gobbling insects in mid-air. In the course of searching for insects and spiders inside flowers as well, they stumbled upon the delicious nectar set out to lure insect pollinators and so began their life as nectar feeders.
These pollinators are very varied and, depending on the species in question, may be flies, mosquitos, bees, wasps, butterflies, coleopterans, and birds (especially hummingbirds).
Most orchid flowers have the same basic reproductive structures (Figure 1). A central structure known as the column is a unique adaptation of orchids that houses both the male (anther) and female (stigma) parts of the flower (Roberts and Dixon 2008).
Whilst most orchids have both male and female parts on the same flower, swan orchids produce separate male and female flowers. What is even more incredible is that these flowers can grow on the same orchid plant, depending on how much sunlight in receives.
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