Columbine pollination success not determined by a proteinaceous reward to hummingbird pollinators

by Eric F. LoPresti

An Anna’s Hummingbird visits the flower of the sticky columbine Aquilegia eximia. Photo by author.

Lots of plants have sticky exudates which entrap small insects. This phenomenon is most famous and well-studied in carnivorous plants, but also occurs in thousands of non-carnivorous plants. While studying the sticky columbine, Aquilegia eximia, I noticed that hummingbirds were occasionally picking dead insects off the plants’ surfaces. As hummingbirds are also the primary (perhaps sole) pollinators of this species, I wondered whether this proteinaceous reward might influence pollination success of the columbine.

Read the whole summary in: English!
Read the scientific publication in JPE.

Visual detection distance to real flowers by bumble bees

by Gidi Ne’eman and Rina Ne’eman

Plants use visual signals to attract pollinators and direct them to their flowers. Visual capabilities of bees have been extensively studied, however, there is no empirical determination of the maximal detection distance of real flowers. Using a six armed radial maze, we tested maximal detection distance of 12 types of natural flowers by bumble bee workers.

Aubrieta deltoidea flower was detected by bumble bees from a distance of 40 cm.

Read the whole summary in: English!
Read the scientific publication in JPE.