Orchids

By Lauren Wensel

Questions to Address.
What are the different pollinators used by orchids? How does the Orchid attract pollinators?

Different Types of Pollinators:

Wingless Worker Ants Bees Butterflies Moths Flies Birds

Different Ways to Attract Pollinators

Sexual deception Different fragrances Bright colors

Sexual Deception
The Orchids can attract the male wasps by releasing a chemical, 2-ethy-5propylcyclohhexa-1,3dione, which is similar to that of a female Found in the Australian Orchid,

Chiloglottis

2-ethy-5-propylcyclohhexa-1,3-dione

Wasp Attractiveness

Another use of Fragrances

The male euglossine bees are attracted to the orchid smell for a different reason When they visit they scratch and brush themselves against the flower to get the scent The bees collect the fragrance and store it in their hind tibiae

Why do the male Euglossine Bees collect the fragrance compound?

They could use it for metabolic reasons The Males attract females with the scent and then use their territorial displays to lure them in Males use the scent to attract other males to a mating site

Male Euglossine Bees

Diagram of male bee

Future Research.
In the future I think it would be interesting to test which of the different types of pollinators are best for orchid fertilization.

References

Ackerman, J. D. Specificity and Mutual Dependency of the Orchid- Euglossine Bee Interaction. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.1983. Vol. 20. pp. 301-314. Beattie, A. J., Peakall, R. Pollination of the Orchid Microtis Parviflora R. Br. By Flightless Worker Ants. British Ecological Society. Vol. 3. No. 5. 1989. pp. 515- 522. Calvo, Richard N. Evolutionary Demography of Orchids: Intensity and Frequency of Pollination and the Cost of Fruiting. Ecology. Vol. 74. No. 4. June 1993. pp. 10331042 Dobson, Calaway H., Dressler, Robert L., Hills, Harold G., Adams, Ralph M., Williams, Norris H. Biologically Active Compounds in Orchid Fragrances. Science. Vol. 164. No. 3885. 13 June 1969. pp. 1243- 1249 Nilsson, L. A. Orchid pollination Biology. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Vol. 7. No.8. 1992. pp. 255-259 O Connell, Lisa M., Johnston, Mark O. Male and Female Pollination Success in a Deceptive Orchid, A Selection Study. Ecology. Vol. 79. No.4. June 1998. pp. 12461260 Schiestl, Florian P., Peakall, Rod, Mant, Jim G., Ibarra, Fernando, Schulz, Claudia, Franke, Stephan, Francke, Wittko. The Chemistry of Sexual Deception in an OrchidWasp Pollination System. Science. Vol. 302. 17 October 2003. pp. 437-438