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Pollinator attractiveness increases with distance from flowering orchids.
Bob B M Wong1, Charlotte Salzmann, Florian P Schiestl
1'School of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. bob.wong@anu.edu.au
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|July 16, 2004
Summary
Female wasps can avoid orchid sexual deception by moving away from deceptive orchid patches. This strategy enhances their attractiveness to males by increasing the effectiveness of their chemical cues with distance.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Orchids employ sexual deception, mimicking female insects to attract pollinators.
- The orchid Chiloglottis trapeziformis deceives its wasp pollinator, Neozeleboria cryptoides.
- This deception can negatively impact wasp populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if female wasps can mitigate the negative impacts of orchid sexual deception.
- To understand the behavioral responses of male wasps to deceptive orchids and chemical cues.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation using unrewarding flower decoys.
- Assessing the effectiveness of female wasp chemical cues at varying distances from orchid patches.
- Observing male wasp habituation to decoy areas.
Main Results:
- Male wasps habituated rapidly to areas with unrewarding orchid decoys.
- The attractiveness of female wasp pheromones increased with distance from orchid patches.
- Female wasps may employ a spatial avoidance strategy to counter orchid deception.
Conclusions:
- Female Neozeleboria cryptoides wasps can potentially mitigate the costs of sexual deception by orchids.
- A site-based avoidance strategy allows females to increase mating success by moving away from deceptive orchid populations.