Active pollinator choice by Heliconia 'fits the bill'.
A new study documents that a tropical plant only reproduces when pollen has been deposited by a visitor capable of extracting nectar from its deep flowers. Large, long-billed hummingbirds generally carry greater quantities of, and more genetically diverse, pollen. Thus, plants can exert more active partner choice than previously considered possible.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA. Electronic address: judieb@email.arizona.edu.
Judith L
JL
Bronstein
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA.
Sarah K
SK
Richman
D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D032427:Heliconiaceae / Q000502:physiology*; D054817:Pollination
coevolution; hummingbird; mutualism; partner choice; pollination; reproduction