title: Contrasting thoughts about deceptive orchids: a response to Sobel and Randle.
abstract: Sobel and Randle (2009) challenge several methodological choices in the comparative study of the evolution of reproductive isolation in Mediterranean deceptive orchids of Scopece et al. (2007) including the species concept used and the selection of taxa, together with the perceived comparison of clades of different ages. They further criticize that pollinator information was taken from the literature and that two different methods were used to estimate pollinator specificity in food-deceptive and sexually deceptive orchids, respectively. Here we reply to these challenges.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Strutturale e Funzionale, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario MSA, Naples, Italy. giosco11@fastwebnet.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scopece
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Musacchio
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Widmer
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cozzolino
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D001901:Botany / Q000379:methods*; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D054817:Pollination