scholarly journals Variation in context dependent foraging behavior across pollinators

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather M. Briggs ◽  
Stuart Graham ◽  
Callin M. Switzer ◽  
Robin Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Flower Color ◽  
Color Preference ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Floral Display ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Color Preferences ◽  
Natural Field

Pollinator foraging behavior has direct consequences for plant reproduction and has been implicated in driving floral trait evolution. Exploring the degree to which pollinators exhibit flexibility in foraging behavior will add to a mechanistic understanding of how pollinators can impact selection on plant traits. Although plants have evolved suites of floral traits to attract pollinators, flower color is a particularly important aspect of the floral display. Some pollinators show strong innate color preference, but many pollinators display flexibility in preference due to learning associations between rewards and color, or due to variable perception of color in different environments or plant communities. This study examines the flexibility in flower color preference of two groups of native butterfly pollinators under natural field conditions. Our study reveals that pipevine swallowtails and skippers, the predominate pollinators of the two native Texas Phlox species, display distinct patterns of color preferences across different contexts. Pipevine swallowtails exhibit highly flexible color preferences and likely utilize other floral traits to make foraging decisions. In contrast, skippers have consistent color preferences and likely use flower color as a primary cue for foraging. As a result of this variation in color preference flexibility, the two pollinator groups impose concordant selection on flower color in some contexts but discordant selection in other contexts. This variability could have profound implications for how flower traits respond to pollinator-mediated selection. Our findings suggest that studying dynamics of behavior in natural field conditions is important for understanding plant-pollinator interactions.

scholarly journals Phenotypic Selection on Flower Color and Floral Display Size by Three Bee Species

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanne Brunet ◽  
Andrew J. Flick ◽  
Austin A. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Display Size ◽  
Flower Color ◽  
Phenotypic Selection ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Floral Display ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Correlational Selection ◽  
Floral Display Size ◽  
Plant Level

Plants exhibit a wide array of floral forms and pollinators can act as agent of selection on floral traits. Two trends have emerged from recent reviews of pollinator-mediated selection in plants. First, pollinator-mediated selection on plant-level attractants such as floral display size is stronger than on flower-level attractant such as flower color. Second, when comparing plant species, distinct pollinators can exert different selection patterns on floral traits. In addition, many plant species are visited by a diverse array of pollinators but very few studies have examined selection by distinct pollinators. In the current study, we examined phenotypic selection on flower color and floral display size by three distinct bee species, the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens, and the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata, foraging on Medicago sativa. To estimate phenotypic selection by each bee species and for all bees combined simultaneously and on the same group of plants, we introduce a new method that combines pollinator visitation data to seed set and floral trait measurements data typical of phenotypic selection study. When comparing floral traits, all bee species selected on the number of racemes per stem and the number of stems per plant, two components of floral display size. However, only leafcutting bees selected on hue or flower color and only bumble bees selected on chroma or darkness of flowers. Selection on chroma occurred via correlational selection between chroma and number of open flowers per raceme and we examine how correlational selection may facilitate the evolution of flower color in plant populations. When comparing bee species, the three bee species exerted similar selection pattern on some floral traits but different patterns on other floral traits and differences in selection patterns were observed between flower-level and plant-level attractants. The trends detected were consistent with previous studies and we advocate the approach introduced here for future studies examining the impact of distinct pollinators on floral trait evolution.

scholarly journals Consumer Color Preferences for Single-stem Cut Flowers on Calendar Holidays and Noncalendar Occasions

HortScience ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengyan Yue ◽  
Bridget K. Behe
Keyword(s):  
Flower Color ◽  
Color Preference ◽  
Logit Analysis ◽  
Cut Flower ◽  
Cut Flowers ◽  
Color Preferences ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Color Palette ◽  
Mother’S Day ◽  
Over Time

Flower color is a dominant attribute of fresh flowers, likely playing a key role in purchase preference. Several prior studies showed flower color preference differed by gender, but other information on color preferences is sparse. Data for this study were collected by the Ipsos-National Panel Diary Group for the American Floral Endowment, which maintained an extensive panel of consumer transactions from 1992 to 2005, including floral purchases. Multinomial logit analysis of single-stem cut flower purchases showed that men and women differed in their cut flower color preferences but that flower color preference also varied with demographic characteristics and by occasion. We grouped colors into six categories: BluePurple, RedBronze, PeachPink, White, Yellow, and Other. The highest percentage of flowers purchased were RedBronze (34%), whereas the lowest percentage of flowers were Yellow (10.01%) with Other flower colors accounting for less than 5% of purchases. Although women used a more diverse color palette, both men and women were more likely to buy RedBronze flowers for an anniversary and buy PeachPink flowers for Mother's Day. Between 1992 and 2005, women were less likely to purchase PeachPink flowers and men were less likely to purchase RedBronze over time. Overall demand for BluePurple and Yellow flower colors increased over time, whereas the demand for other color categories decreased over time.

scholarly journals Validation of loop-mediated isothermal amplification for the detection of Loa loa infection in Chrysops spp in experimental and natural field conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glory Ngongeh Amambo ◽  
Raphael Awah Abong ◽  
Fanny Fri Fombad ◽  
Abdel Jelil Njouendou ◽  
Franck Nietcho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lamp Assay ◽  
Isothermal Amplification ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Loa Loa ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Natural Field ◽  
North West ◽  
Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification ◽  
The North

Abstract Background The mass drug administration of ivermectin for onchocerciasis control has contributed to a significant drop in Loa loa microfilaria loads in humans that has, in turn, led to reduction of infection levels in Chrysops vectors. Accurate parasite detection is essential for assessing loiasis transmission as it provides a potential alternative or indirect strategy for addressing the problem of co-endemic loiasis and lymphatic filariasis through the Onchocerciasis Elimination Programme and it further reflects the true magnitude of the loiasis problem as excess human mortality has been reported to be associated with the disease. Although microscopy is the gold standard for detecting the infection, the sensitivity of this method is compromised when the intensity of infection is low. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay of parasite DNA is an alternative method for detecting infection which offers operational simplicity, rapidity and versatility of visual readout options. The aim of this study was to validate the Loa loa LAMP assay for the detection of infected Chrysops spp. under experimental and natural field conditions. Methods Two sets of 18 flies were fed on volunteers with either a low (< 10 mf/ml) or high (> 30,000mf/ml) microfilarial load. The fed flies were maintained under laboratory conditions for 14 days and then analysed using LAMP for the detection of L. loa infection. In addition, a total of 9270 flies were collected from the north-west, east, and south-west regions (SW 1 and 2) of Cameroon using sweep nets and subjected to microscopy (7841 flies) and LAMP (1291 flies plus 138 nulliparous flies) analyses. Results The LAMP assay successfully detected parasites in Chrysops fed on volunteers with both low and high microfilariaemic loads. Field validation and surveillance studies revealed LAMP-based infection rates ranging from 0.5 to 31.6%, with the lowest levels in SW 2 and the highest infection rates in SW 1. The LAMP assay detected significantly higher infection rates than microscopy in four of the five study sites. Conclusion This study demonstrated the potential of LAMP as a simple surveillance tool. It was found to be more sensitive than microscopy for the detection of experimental and natural L. loa infections in Chrysops vectors.

Morph-specific correlations between floral traits in a distylous Ophiorrhiza napoensis (Rubiaceae) population in southern China

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
HIROSHI KUDOH ◽  
TAKASHI SUGAWARA ◽  
SUGONG WU ◽  
JIN MURATA
Keyword(s):  
Southern China ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Corolla Tube ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Tube Length ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Subtropical Evergreen Forest ◽  
Positive Correlations

Floral trait correlations were compared between the two flower morphs of a distylous Ophiorrhiza napoensis population in a subtropical evergreen forest at the Defu Natural Animal Preserve, Guangxi, China. Common principal component analyses indicated that overall patterns in correlations among floral traits were morph specific in the study population. Strong positive correlations (r > 0.9) between anther height and corolla-tube length were found in both morphs. Stigma height correlated positively with corolla-tube length in the long-styled morph (r = 0.843), but not in the short-styled morph (r = −0.018). Flower-morph-specific correlation suggests that natural selection by pollinators has moulded trait covariance among floral traits. Because morph-specific correlations are expressed as the patterns of within-morph variation among multiple traits, putative genes responsible for the stigma-corolla tube correlation should not link to the supergene for sex-organ reciprocity between the morphs, but their expression is limited in the long-styled morph.

scholarly journals Numerical Analysis on Color Preference and Visual Comfort from Eye Tracking Technique

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Ming-Chung Ho ◽  
Jhih-Ming Chen ◽  
Ray-Ying Huang ◽  
Ming-Hsun Shen ◽  
Ming-Chi Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Color Preference ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Feeling ◽  
Visual Comfort ◽  
Color Preferences ◽  
Physiological Indicators ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Color Assignment

Color preferences in engineering are very important, and there exists relationship between color preference and visual comfort. In this study, there are thirty university students who participated in the experiment, supplemented by pre- and posttest questionnaires, which lasted about an hour. The main purpose of this study is to explore the visual effects of different color assignment with subjective color preferences via eye tracking technology. Eye-movement data through a nonlinear analysis detect slight differences in color preferences and visual comfort, suggesting effective physiological indicators as extensive future research discussed. Results found that the average pupil size of eye-movement indicators can effectively reflect the differences of color preferences and visual comfort. This study more confirmed that the subjective feeling will make people have misjudgment.

scholarly journals Estimation of ascochytosis infection of samples and lines of chickpea sorts in natural field conditions in Uzbekistan

2020 ◽  
pp. 74-77
Author(s):  
J. T. Nakhalbaev ◽  
I. Kh. Khamdamov
Keyword(s):  
Field Conditions ◽  
Seed Infection ◽  
Natural Field ◽  
The Third ◽  
Experimental Station ◽  
Leguminous Crops ◽  
Sowing Period ◽  
Research Institute

Relevance and methods. The information on the influence of samples of chickpea sorts, time of planting the lines of chickpeas on seed infection with ascochytosis and on the weight of grain on one plant bush is presented in this article. Samples of chickpea sorts and lines were studied during the first sowing period — the first decade of March and the second sowing period — the third decade of March. Ascochytosis infection was evaluated in natural field conditions. The study was conducted at the Central Experimental Station of the Galaaral Research Institute of Grain and Leguminous Crops in 2015–2017 in Uzbekistan.Results. According to the three-year study, it was found that in the years when there was a lot of precipitation days, sorts Yulduz, ILC 263 and MП 2015/1 of the lines during the first sowing were determined to be infected with acochytosis up to 6 points. During the first sowing period of this cv., there was a decrease in the weight of grains on one plant bush compared to the second sowing period. Cv. ILC 3279, Umid and line 14442 were found to be virtually undamaged in natural field conditions with ascohitosis during both planting periods. It wasfound our that the weight of cv. Мustaqillik-20, line 14442 grain on one plant bush remained high during both planting periods.

Floral trait variation and links to climate in the mixed-mating annual Clarkia pulchella

Botany ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (7) ◽  
pp. 425-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin E. Gamble ◽  
Megan Bontrager ◽  
Amy L. Angert
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
Floral Traits ◽  
Mixed Mating ◽  
Floral Trait ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Self Fertilization ◽  
Clarkia Pulchella ◽  
Watering Treatment

The benefits of self-fertilization can vary across environments, leading to selection for different reproductive strategies and influencing the evolution of floral traits. Although stressful conditions have been suggested to favour self-pollination, the role of climate as a driver of mating-system variation is generally not well understood. Here, we investigate the contributions of local climate to intraspecific differences in mating-system traits in Clarkia pulchella Pursh in a common-garden growth chamber experiment. We also tested for plastic responses to soil moisture with watering treatments. Herkogamy (anther–stigma spacing) correlated positively with dichogamy (timing of anther–stigma receptivity) and date of first flower, and northern populations had smaller petals and flowered earlier in response to experimental drought. Watering treatment alone had little effect on traits, and dichogamy unexpectedly decreased with annual precipitation. Populations also differed in phenological response to watering treatment, based on precipitation and winter temperature of their origin, indicating that populations from cool and dry sites have greater plasticity under different levels of moisture stress. While some variation in floral traits is attributable to climate, further investigation into variation in pollinator communities and the indirect effects of climate on mating system can improve our understanding of the evolution of plant mating.

scholarly journals Solar radiation use efficiency by soybean under field conditions in the Amazon region

2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 1211-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Jorge de Oliveira Ponte de Souza ◽  
Aristides Ribeiro ◽  
Edson José Paulino da Rocha ◽  
José Renato Bouça Farias ◽  
Renata Silva Loureiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Biomass Production ◽  
Amazon Region ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Radiation Use Efficiency ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Natural Field ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Radiation Use

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of soybean (Glycine max) in intercepting and using solar radiation under natural field conditions, in the Amazon region, Brazil. The meteorological data and the values of soybean growth and leaf area were obtained from an agrometeorological experiment carried out in Paragominas, Pará state, during 2007 and 2008. The radiation use efficiency (RUE) was obtained from the ratio between the above-ground biomass production and the intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) accumulated to 99 and 95 days after sowing, in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Climatic conditions during the experiment were very distinct, with reduction in rainfall in 2007, which began during the soybean mid-cycle, due to the El Niño phenomenon. An important reduction in the leaf area index and biomass production was observed during 2007. Under natural field conditions in the Amazon region, the values of RUE were 1.46 and 1.99 g MJ-1 PAR in the 2007 and 2008 experiments, respectively. The probable reason for the differences found between these years might be associated to the water restriction in 2007 coupled with the higher air temperature and vapor pressure deficit, and also to the increase in the fraction of diffuse radiation that reached the land surface in 2008.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document