Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Field Experiments of Pollination Ecology: The Case of Lycoris sanguinea var. sanguinea
Published on: November 25, 2016
Pollinator and Flower Morphology Interact to Affect Pollen Receipt
Abstract:
AbstractPollinators are important drivers of floral variation and speciation in plants. Here we investigate the effects of functional trait matching on pollen receipt in two plant species, Tritoniopsis revoluta and Nerine humilis, each visited by long-proboscid nemestrinid flies and bees across their ranges. Using single visits by pollinators to flowers with increased variance in floral morphology, we construct performance surfaces based on pollen receipt. We find divergent pollen receipt surfaces mediated by functionally different pollinators, within and between plant populations. Our results illuminate the nuances of how plants adapt to increase reproductive output in multipollinator communities, in which pollinators vary in their effectiveness.
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Pollination and Flower Structure
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Frequency-dependent Selection
Genetics of Speciation
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Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...

