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

81.9K
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.  
81.9K
Keystone Species01:39

Keystone Species

25.4K
Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...
25.4K
Introduction to Plant Diversity02:22

Introduction to Plant Diversity

50.8K
From Water to Land
50.8K
Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores02:40

Epiphytes, Parasites, and Carnivores

17.2K
Plants often form mutualistic relationships with soil-dwelling fungi or bacteria to enhance their roots’ nutrient uptake ability. Root-colonizing fungi (e.g., mycorrhizae) increase a plant’s root surface area, which promotes nutrient absorption. While root-colonizing, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., rhizobia) convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3), making nitrogen available to plants for various biological functions. For example, nitrogen is essential for the...
17.2K
Migration00:53

Migration

9.2K
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
9.2K
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

22.4K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
22.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

High-quality surrounding landscapes mitigate avian extirpations from forest remnants.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Incorporating pollinator movement into connectivity models predicts pollen-mediated gene flow and highlights the importance of regenerating forests in tropical landscapes.

Landscape ecology·2026
Same author

Ginger genome reveals the SMPED1 gene causing sex-phase synchrony and outcrossing in a flowering plant.

Nature plants·2025
Same author

Heliconia tortuosa.

Nature ecology & evolution·2025
Same author

Distinct bird assemblages emerge after fire versus forest harvest but converge with early seral forest development.

Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America·2025
Same author

Benefits of onshoring forestry rely on science.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 16, 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

12.2K

Pollinator recognition by a keystone tropical plant.

Matthew G Betts1, Adam S Hadley2, W John Kress3

  • 1Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; and matt.betts@oregonstate.edu.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|March 4, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Tropical plants can discriminate among pollinators, favoring hummingbirds with specialized bills for reproduction. This pollinator filtering mechanism aids coevolution but may increase vulnerability to environmental changes.

Keywords:
coevolutionhummingbirdsmutualismpollinator networksspecialization

More Related Videos

In Vitro Rearing of Solitary Bees: A Tool for Assessing Larval Risk Factors
08:50

In Vitro Rearing of Solitary Bees: A Tool for Assessing Larval Risk Factors

Published on: July 16, 2018

8.8K
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

1.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 16, 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

12.2K
In Vitro Rearing of Solitary Bees: A Tool for Assessing Larval Risk Factors
08:50

In Vitro Rearing of Solitary Bees: A Tool for Assessing Larval Risk Factors

Published on: July 16, 2018

8.8K
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

1.9K

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Ecology
  • Plant-Pollinator Interactions

Background:

  • Coevolution in mutualistic networks is a key challenge in evolutionary biology.
  • Understanding plant strategies for pollinator selection is crucial for network stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the tropical plant Heliconia tortuosa can discriminate among floral visitors.
  • To identify the cues plants use to regulate reproductive investment based on pollinator traits.

Main Methods:

  • Aviary experiments standardized pollen quality across 223 trials.
  • Pollen tube abundance measured successful pollination events.
  • Hummingbird bill length and nectar extraction capacity analyzed as pollinator cues.

Main Results:

  • Heliconia tortuosa showed significantly higher pollination success with long-billed hummingbirds compared to straight-billed birds or insects.
  • Plant reproductive investment was positively correlated with hummingbird nectar extraction capacity (bill length).
  • Long-billed hummingbirds exhibited broader daily movement ranges (approx. 1 km) than territorial species (<100 m).

Conclusions:

  • Plants can recognize and differentially invest in reproduction with specific pollinators based on traits like bill length.
  • This pollinator filtering mechanism may facilitate plant-pollinator coevolution but reduces realized pollinator diversity.
  • Reduced pollinator diversity can increase the vulnerability of mutualistic networks to environmental changes.