Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Pollination and Flower Structure02:40

Pollination and Flower Structure

Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

Overview

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Shared neural transcriptomic patterns underlie the repeated evolution of mutualistic cleaning behaviour in Labridae wrasses.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Coordination costs may counteract the positive effects of a larger group size in determining the winner of between-group conflicts.

iScience·2026
Same author

Making friends in an asymmetric game: the establishment of male-female grooming exchanges in vervet monkeys.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

The interplay between satiation and temptation drives cleaner fish <i>Labroides dimidiatus</i> foraging behavior and service quality toward client reef fish.

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2025
Same author

A fishy perspective on the social brain hypothesis.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025
Same author

Rapid self-recognition ability in the cleaner fish.

Scientific reports·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
07:19

Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea

Published on: November 25, 2016

Hawkmoth pollinators decrease seed set of a low-nectar Petunia axillaris line through reduced probing time.

Anna Brandenburg1, Cris Kuhlemeier, Redouan Bshary

  • 1Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland. anna.brandenburg@unine.ch

Current Biology : CB
|July 31, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Plant nectar production is crucial for pollination. Reducing nectar volume decreased hawkmoth pollination, leading to lower seed production, highlighting the importance of nectar rewards in plant-pollinator mutualisms.

More Related Videos

A Rapid Method to Confine and Safely Handle Bees in the Field
03:44

A Rapid Method to Confine and Safely Handle Bees in the Field

Published on: August 23, 2024

A 3D Printed Pollen Trap for Bumble Bee (Bombus) Hive Entrances
07:19

A 3D Printed Pollen Trap for Bumble Bee (Bombus) Hive Entrances

Published on: July 9, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 20, 2026

Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
07:19

Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea

Published on: November 25, 2016

A Rapid Method to Confine and Safely Handle Bees in the Field
03:44

A Rapid Method to Confine and Safely Handle Bees in the Field

Published on: August 23, 2024

A 3D Printed Pollen Trap for Bumble Bee (Bombus) Hive Entrances
07:19

A 3D Printed Pollen Trap for Bumble Bee (Bombus) Hive Entrances

Published on: July 9, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Plant-pollinator interactions
  • Evolutionary ecology
  • Plant reproductive biology

Background:

  • Most animal-pollinated plants offer nectar rewards, but the costs and benefits of nectar production are not fully understood.
  • Orchid pollination often involves deception, contrasting with nectar-based strategies in other flowering plants.
  • Understanding nectar's role is key to comprehending the stability of plant-pollinator mutualisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of reduced nectar volume on plant reproductive success.
  • To determine if pollinators discriminate against plants with lower nectar rewards.
  • To explore the relationship between pollinator behavior, nectar availability, and seed production.

Main Methods:

  • Developed an introgression line of *Petunia* with reduced nectar volume by crossing *P. integrifolia* and *P. axillaris*.
  • Observed hawkmoth behavior (probing duration) when presented with low-nectar and wild-type plants simultaneously.
  • Assessed seed production through natural pollination and hand pollination, including nectar supplementation experiments.

Main Results:

  • The introgression line produced one-third the nectar volume of wild-type *P. axillaris*.
  • Hawkmoths reduced probing duration on low-nectar plants but did not avoid them.
  • Reduced probing duration correlated with significantly lower seed production in low-nectar plants.
  • Nectar supplementation restored seed set in low-nectar plants to levels comparable to hand pollination.

Conclusions:

  • Pollinator self-serving behavior, like adjusting probing time based on nectar volume, can select against nectar reduction.
  • This pollinator response helps maintain plant-pollinator mutualisms and prevents a shift towards nectarless (parasitic) strategies.
  • Nectar rewards play a vital role in stabilizing mutualistic relationships between plants and their pollinators.