Snapdragon Pollination
Pollination
of Snapdragons is done by a variety of different insects. The following list of
pictures gives a few samples of pollinator species as well as of the different
techniques used. Snapdragon is usually pollinated by bumble bees. Honey bees are
not able to open up the mouth. But some bumble bees penetrate the flower tube
from the side, avoiding the power consuming opening of the flower. This opening
may then be used by others like honey bees to collect the nectar. This of course
does nothing to ensure the pollination of the flower. Syrphid flies and other
smaller insect can benefit from some flower mutants with impaired morphology of
the petals.
Most of the photographs have been donated by Iris Heidmann (ihe)
from the Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung.
The species
determination of the pollinators is only tentative, since no animals were
collected or killed but only "hunted" with the camera.
Pollinators:
- Honey bees ("Honigbienen"):
- ihe_slide_0012
(38570 Bytes) Honey bee (Apis mellifica) unable to open the mouthparts,
collecting a bit of pollen from the closed flower.
- Solitary bees ("Solitäre Bienen"):
- ihe_slide_0002
(41289 Bytes) Megachile sp. (Solitary bee, "Bauchsammler") In flight. Could
be Megachile centuncularis a common polylectic (unspecialized) species.
- ihe_slide_0001
(39800 Bytes) Same solitary bee ("Bauchsammler") entering a snapdragon
flower backwards collecting pollen with the ventral abdomen hairs.
- ihe_slide_0013
(64769 Bytes) Solitary bee. Moment after landing and before the entering. In
process of turning itself upside down. See also ihe_slide_0001
and ihe_slide_0002.
- ihe_slide_0014
(37184 Bytes) Solitary bee. Next step before entering.
- ihe_slide_0015
(45968 Bytes) Solitary bee. Entering.
- Bumble bees ("Hummeln"):
- ihe_slide_0003
(43005 Bytes) Bombus sp. in flight, approaching the flower.
- ihe_slide_0004
(56716 Bytes) Bombus sp. upon entering the flower the classic way, opening
up the mouth, sucking from the bottom of the tube and beeing powdered by
pollen on the back of the thorax.
- ihe_slide_0005
(43309 Bytes) Bombus sp. Another classic attempt to pollinate.
- ihe_slide_0006
(25165 Bytes) Bombus sp. Moving deeper in.
- ihe_slide_0011
(48548 Bytes) Bombus sp. Classic method.
- ihe_slide_0007
(64195 Bytes) Bombus terrestris ("Erdhummel"). "Stealing" the nectar by
penetrating the tube from the side.
- ihe_slide_0008
(55017 Bytes) Megabombus pascuorum floralis ("Ackerhummel") Also "stealing"
from the side.
- ihe_slide_0010
(63083 Bytes) Bombus terrestris ("Erdhummel"). A bumble bee strong enough to
open the mouthparts.
- phu_pict0005
Bumble bee.
- Syrphid flies ("Schwebfliegen"):
- ihe_slide_0009
(51332 Bytes) Episyrphus balteatus ("Gemeine Winterschwebfliege") Syrphid
fly. Though beeing attracted to a wild type flower is unable to enter.
- ihe_slide_0016
(61831 Bytes) Episyrphus balteatus ("Gemeine Winterschwebfliege") Syrphid
fly. Benefitting from the open flower of a mutant (choripetala)
snapdragon.This is a common syrphid fly species with little specialisation
to certain flowers.
- Other flies ("Sonstige Fliegen"):
This page is part of the Snapdragon
Home Page.
The URL of this page is
http://www.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/~stueber/snapdragon/.html
If you have any
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Guest Book. For personal comments please write to the author(s) of this page
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This page has last been modified on May 12, 1997.