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Getahun MN, Baleba SBS, Ngiela J, Ahuya P, Masiga D. Multimodal interactions in Stomoxys navigation reveal synergy between olfaction and vision. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17724. [PMID: 39085483 PMCID: PMC11291998 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68726-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Stomoxys flies exhibit an attraction toward objects that offer no rewards, such as traps and targets devoid of blood or nectar incentives. This behavior provides an opportunity to develop effective tools for vector control and monitoring. However, for these systems to be sustainable and eco-friendly, the visual cues used must be specific to target vector(s). In this study, we modified the existing blue Vavoua trap, which was originally designed to attract biting flies, to create a deceptive host attraction system specifically biased toward attracting Stomoxys. Our research revealed that Stomoxys flies are attracted to various colors, with red proving to be the most attractive and selective color for Stomoxys compared to the other colors tested. Interestingly, our investigation of the cattle-Stomoxys interaction demonstrated that Stomoxys flies do not prefer a specific livestock fur color phenotype, despite variation in the spectrum. To create a realistic sensory impression of the trap in the Stomoxys nervous system, we incorporated olfactory cues from livestock host odors that significantly increased trap catches. The optimized novel polymer bead dispenser is capable of effectively releasing the attractive odor carvone + p-cresol, with strong plume strands and longevity. Overall, red trap baited with polymer bead dispenser is environmentally preferred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merid N Getahun
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Steve B S Baleba
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - John Ngiela
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Peter Ahuya
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Daniel Masiga
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya
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2
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Huang T, Song B, Chen Z, Sun H, Niu Y. Pollinator shift ensures reproductive success in a camouflaged alpine plant. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 134:325-336. [PMID: 38720433 PMCID: PMC11232517 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS There are intrinsic conflicts between signalling to mutualists and concealing (camouflaging) from antagonists. Like animals, plants also use camouflage as a defence against herbivores. However, this can potentially reduce their attractiveness to pollinators. METHODS Using Fritillaria delavayi, an alpine camouflaged plant with inter-population floral colour divergence, we tested the influence of floral trait differences on reproduction. We conducted pollination experiments, measured floral morphological characteristics, estimated floral colours perceived by pollinators, analysed floral scent and investigated reproductive success in five populations. KEY RESULTS We found that the reproduction of F. delavayi depends on pollinators. Under natural conditions, a flower-camouflaged population had 100 % fruit set and similar seed set to three out of four yellow-flowered populations. Bumblebees are important pollinators in the visually conspicuous yellow-flowered populations, whereas flies are the only pollinator in the flower-camouflaged population, visiting flowers more frequently than bumblebees. The camouflaged flowers cannot be discriminated from the rock background as perceived by pollinators, but may be located by flies through olfactory cues. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results demonstrate that the flower-camouflaged population has different reproductive traits from the visually conspicuous yellow-flowered populations. A pollinator shift from bumblebees to flies, combined with high visitation frequency, compensates for the attractiveness disadvantage in camouflaged plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10049, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Song
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhe Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China
| | - Hang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, People's Republic of China
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3
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White TE. Deceptive pollinator lures benefit from physical and perceptual proximity to flowers. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11120. [PMID: 38450320 PMCID: PMC10917580 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Predators often use deception to exploit sensory and cognitive biases in prey. In pollinating insects, these include preferences for conspicuous colours associated with flowers, which predators such as orb-web spiders display as prey lures. Theory predicts that deceptive signal efficacy should covary with both their perceptual similarity and physical proximity to the resources-here, flowers-whose cues they are imitating. Here I used the colour-polymorphic jewelled spider Gasteracantha fornicata to test this prediction. I first examined spiders' capture success in the field, and found their visual resemblance and physical proximity to flowers interacted to mediate capture rates, with colour-similarity becoming increasingly important as the distance between spiders and flowers decreased. I then replicated this interaction experimentally. Spiders adjacent to colour-matched flowers enjoyed heightened capture success relative to those with nearby but colour-mismatched flowers. While spiders with flowers placed at a distance (irrespective of colour) recorded the fewest captures. These results support 'neighbourhood' effects in aggressive deception as receivers' vulnerability to exploitation is mediated by the local signalling community. More generally, they emphasise the importance of the broader information landscape in the ecology of communication, and suggest misinformation is most effective when physically and perceptually proximate to the truth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E. White
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
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4
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Martins Junior ER, da Costa ACG, Milet-Pinheiro P, Navarro D, Thomas WW, Giulietti AM, Machado IC. Mixed pollination system and floral signals of Paepalanthus (Eriocaulaceae): insects and geitonogamy ensure high reproductive success. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 129:473-484. [PMID: 35039823 PMCID: PMC8944716 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Eriocaulaceae exhibit a great variety of floral traits associated with insect (e.g. nectariferous structures) and wind pollination (unisexual flowers, exposed sexual organs and small pollen grains), as well as the 'selfing syndrome' (small flowers, short distance between stigma and anthers, and temporal overlap of male and female phases). Paepalanthus bifidus, P. subtilis and P. tortilis are related species that differ in form, size and colour of floral structures. We aimed to investigate the pollination and reproductive biology of these three species. METHODS We analysed the floral biology, floral visitors, pollinator behaviour, and the contribution of insects, wind and spontaneous geitonogamy to fruit set. We also evaluated the floral colour and scent of the species. Colour reflectance of capitula of each species was measured and plotted in models of insect vision. Floral scent samples were extracted and the compounds were compared to vegetative scent samples. KEY RESULTS In all species, the staminate and pistillate flowers are arranged in alternating cycles with a temporal overlap between these phases. Ants were the most frequent floral visitors and were effective pollinators in P. bifidus and P. tortilis, while flies were occasional pollinators in P. tortilis. Floral visitors were not observed in P. subtilis. In all species, fruits were produced by spontaneous geitonogamy, with no evidence of wind pollination. According to the models of insect vision, the colours of the capitula of P. bifidus and P. subtilis are the most inconspicuous for ants and flies. We found no difference between the emission of volatiles of inflorescences and vegetative structures. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that ant pollination might be more widespread in Eriocaulaceae than currently assumed. Furthermore, for small monocarpic plants, mixed mating strategies are most favourable, by ensuring reproduction either by outcrossing when pollinators are abundant or by spontaneous geitonogamy when pollinations are scarce/absent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edivaldo Rodrigues Martins Junior
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Galindo da Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | | | - Daniela Navarro
- Departamento de Química Fundamental, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Maria Giulietti
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Feria de Santana, Bahia, Brazil
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5
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Alonso San Alberto D, Rusch C, Zhan Y, Straw AD, Montell C, Riffell JA. The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes. Nat Commun 2022; 13:555. [PMID: 35121739 PMCID: PMC8816903 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28195-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes track odors, locate hosts, and find mates visually. The color of a food resource, such as a flower or warm-blooded host, can be dominated by long wavelengths of the visible light spectrum (green to red for humans) and is likely important for object recognition and localization. However, little is known about the hues that attract mosquitoes or how odor affects mosquito visual search behaviors. We use a real-time 3D tracking system and wind tunnel that allows careful control of the olfactory and visual environment to quantify the behavior of more than 1.3 million mosquito trajectories. We find that CO2 induces a strong attraction to specific spectral bands, including those that humans perceive as cyan, orange, and red. Sensitivity to orange and red correlates with mosquitoes’ strong attraction to the color spectrum of human skin, which is dominated by these wavelengths. The attraction is eliminated by filtering the orange and red bands from the skin color spectrum and by introducing mutations targeting specific long-wavelength opsins or CO2 detection. Collectively, our results show that odor is critical for mosquitoes’ wavelength preferences and that the mosquito visual system is a promising target for inhibiting their attraction to human hosts. Vision in mosquitoes plays a critical but understudied role in their attraction to hosts. Here, the authors show that encounter with an attractive odor gates the mosquito attraction to specific colors, especially the long wavelengths reflected from human skin. Filtering the long wavelengths reflected from the human skin or knocking-out the ability for the mosquito to detect the wavelengths, suppressed their attraction. This work transforms our understanding of mosquito vision from the conventional view that vision does little in mediating mosquito-host interactions, to the recognition that vision plays a critical role.
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6
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Garcia JE, Hannah L, Shrestha M, Burd M, Dyer AG. Fly pollination drives convergence of flower coloration. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:52-61. [PMID: 34460949 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Plant-pollinator interactions provide a natural experiment in signal evolution. Flowers are known to have evolved colour signals that maximise their ease of detection by the visual systems of important pollinators such as bees. Whilst most angiosperms are bee pollinated, our understanding on how the second largest group of pollinating insects, flies, may influence flower colour evolution is limited to the use of categorical models of colour discrimination that do not reflect the small colour differences commonly observed between and within flower species. Here we show by comparing flower signals that occur in different environments including total absence of bees, a mixture of bee and fly pollination within one plant family (Orchidaceae) from a single community, and typical flowers from a broad taxonomic sampling of the same geographic region, that perceptually different colours, empirically measured, do evolve in response to different types of insect pollinators. We show evidence of both convergence among fly-pollinated floral colours but also of divergence and displacement of colour signals in the absence of bee pollinators. Our findings give an insight into how both ecological and agricultural systems may be affected by changes in pollinator distributions around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jair E Garcia
- Bio-Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, Vic., 3000, Australia
| | - Lea Hannah
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2750, Australia
| | - Mani Shrestha
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95447, Germany
- School of Information Technology, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., 3168, Australia
| | - Martin Burd
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., 3168, Australia
| | - Adrian G Dyer
- Bio-Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, Vic., 3000, Australia
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7
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Finnell LM, Koski MH. A test of Sensory Drive in plant-pollinator interactions: heterogeneity in the signalling environment shapes pollinator preference for a floral visual signal. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 232:1436-1448. [PMID: 34287921 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sensory Drive predicts that habitat-dependent signal transmission and perception explain the diversification of communication signals. Whether Sensory Drive shapes floral evolution remains untested in nature. Pollinators of Argentina anserina prefer small ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing floral guides at low elevation but larger guides at high. However, mechanisms underlying differential preference are unclear. High elevation populations experience elevated UV irradiance and frequently flower against bare substrates rather than foliage, potentially impacting signal transmission and perception. At high and low elevation extremes, we experimentally tested the effects of UV light (ambient vs reduced) and floral backgrounds (foliage vs bare) on pollinator choice for UV guide size. We examined how different signalling environments shaped pollinator-perceived flower colour using visual system models. At high elevation, pollinators preferred locally common large UV guides under ambient UV, but lacked preference under reduced UV. Flies preferred large guides only against bare substrate, the common high elevation background. Ambient UV amplified contrast of large UV guides with floral backgrounds, and flowers contrasted more with bare ground than foliage. Results support that local signalling conditions contribute to pollinator preference for a floral visual signal, a key tenet of Sensory Drive. Components of Sensory Drive could shape floral signal evolution in other plants spanning heterogeneous signalling environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M Finnell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Matthew H Koski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
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8
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Narbona E, del Valle JC, Arista M, Buide ML, Ortiz PL. Major Flower Pigments Originate Different Colour Signals to Pollinators. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.743850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Flower colour is mainly due to the presence and type of pigments. Pollinator preferences impose selection on flower colour that ultimately acts on flower pigments. Knowing how pollinators perceive flowers with different pigments becomes crucial for a comprehensive understanding of plant-pollinator communication and flower colour evolution. Based on colour space models, we studied whether main groups of pollinators, specifically hymenopterans, dipterans, lepidopterans and birds, differentially perceive flower colours generated by major pigment groups. We obtain reflectance data and conspicuousness to pollinators of flowers containing one of the pigment groups more frequent in flowers: chlorophylls, carotenoids and flavonoids. Flavonoids were subsequently classified in UV-absorbing flavonoids, aurones-chalcones and the anthocyanins cyanidin, pelargonidin, delphinidin, and malvidin derivatives. We found that flower colour loci of chlorophylls, carotenoids, UV-absorbing flavonoids, aurones-chalcones, and anthocyanins occupied different regions of the colour space models of these pollinators. The four groups of anthocyanins produced a unique cluster of colour loci. Interestingly, differences in colour conspicuousness among the pigment groups were almost similar in the bee, fly, butterfly, and bird visual space models. Aurones-chalcones showed the highest chromatic contrast values, carotenoids displayed intermediate values, and chlorophylls, UV-absorbing flavonoids and anthocyanins presented the lowest values. In the visual model of bees, flowers with UV-absorbing flavonoids (i.e., white flowers) generated the highest achromatic contrasts. Ours findings suggest that in spite of the almost omnipresence of floral anthocyanins in angiosperms, carotenoids and aurones-chalcones generates higher colour conspicuousness for main functional groups of pollinators.
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9
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Messas YF, Bergamo PJ, Villanueva-Bonilla GA, da Silva Souza H, Gonzaga MO, Vasconcellos-Neto J. Deceptions of light and shadow: do the visual cues of Gasteracantha cancriformis (Araneae, Araneidae) improve prey interception by webs in the forest understory? ZOOL ANZ 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Garcia JE, Rohr DH, Dyer AG. Colour Discrimination From Perceived Differences by Birds. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.639513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of visual generalists to see and perceive displayed colour signals is essential to understanding decision making in natural environments. Whilst modelling approaches have typically considered relatively simple physiological explanations of how colour may be processed, data on key bee species reveals that colour is a complex multistage perception largely generated by opponent neural representations in a brain. Thus, a biologically meaningful unit of colour information must consider the psychophysics responses of an animal engaged in colour decision making. We extracted previously collected psychophysics data for a Violet-Sensitive (VS) bird, the pigeon (Columba livia), and used a non-linear function that reliably represents the behavioural choices of hymenopteran and dipteran pollinators to produce the first behaviourally validated and biologically meaningful representation of how VS birds use colour information in a probabilistic way. The function describes how similar or dis-similar spectral information can lead to different choice behaviours in birds, even though all such spectral information is above discrimination threshold. This new representation of bird vision will enable enhanced modelling representations of how bird vision can sense and use colour information in complex environments.
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11
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Ellis AG, Anderson B, Kemp JE. Geographic Mosaics of Fly Pollinators With Divergent Color Preferences Drive Landscape-Scale Structuring of Flower Color in Daisy Communities. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:617761. [PMID: 33597961 PMCID: PMC7882612 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.617761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The striking variation in flower color across and within Angiosperm species is often attributed to divergent selection resulting from geographic mosaics of pollinators with different color preferences. Despite the importance of pollinator mosaics in driving floral divergence, the distributions of pollinators and their color preferences are seldom quantified. The extensive mass-flowering displays of annual daisy species in Namaqualand, South Africa, are characterized by striking color convergence within communities, but also color turnover within species and genera across large geographic scales. We aimed to determine whether shifts between orange and white-flowered daisy communities are driven by the innate color preferences of different pollinators or by soil color, which can potentially affect the detectability of different colored flowers. Different bee-fly pollinators dominated in both community types so that largely non-overlapping pollinator distributions were strongly associated with different flower colors. Visual modeling demonstrated that orange and white-flowered species are distinguishable in fly vision, and choice experiments demonstrated strongly divergent color preferences. We found that the dominant pollinator in orange communities has a strong spontaneous preference for orange flowers, which was not altered by conditioning. Similarly, the dominant pollinator in white communities exhibited an innate preference for white flowers. Although detectability of white flowers varied across soil types, background contrast did not alter color preferences. These findings demonstrate that landscape-level flower color turnover across Namaqua daisy communities is likely shaped by a strong qualitative geographic mosaic of bee-fly pollinators with divergent color preferences. This is an unexpected result given the classically generalist pollination phenotype of daisies. However, because of the dominance of single fly pollinator species within communities, and the virtual absence of bees as pollinators, we suggest that Namaqua daisies function as pollination specialists despite their generalist phenotypes, thus facilitating differentiation of flower color by pollinator shifts across the fly pollinator mosaic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan G. Ellis
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
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12
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van der Kooi CJ, Stavenga DG, Arikawa K, Belušič G, Kelber A. Evolution of Insect Color Vision: From Spectral Sensitivity to Visual Ecology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 66:435-461. [PMID: 32966103 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-061720-071644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Color vision is widespread among insects but varies among species, depending on the spectral sensitivities and interplay of the participating photoreceptors. The spectral sensitivity of a photoreceptor is principally determined by the absorption spectrum of the expressed visual pigment, but it can be modified by various optical and electrophysiological factors. For example, screening and filtering pigments, rhabdom waveguide properties, retinal structure, and neural processing all influence the perceived color signal. We review the diversity in compound eye structure, visual pigments, photoreceptor physiology, and visual ecology of insects. Based on an overview of the current information about the spectral sensitivities of insect photoreceptors, covering 221 species in 13 insect orders, we discuss the evolution of color vision and highlight present knowledge gaps and promising future research directions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper J van der Kooi
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9700 AK Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Doekele G Stavenga
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9700 AK Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Kentaro Arikawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan;
| | - Gregor Belušič
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Almut Kelber
- Lund Vision Group, Department of Biology, University of Lund, 22362 Lund, Sweden;
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13
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Moré M, Ibañez AC, Drewniak ME, Cocucci AA, Raguso RA. Flower Diversification Across "Pollinator Climates": Sensory Aspects of Corolla Color Evolution in the Florally Diverse South American Genus Jaborosa (Solanaceae). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:601975. [PMID: 33365042 PMCID: PMC7750315 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.601975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Flower phenotype may diverge within plant lineages when moving across "pollinator climates" (geographic differences in pollinator abundance or preference). Here we explored the potential importance of pollinators as drivers of floral color diversification in the nightshade genus Jaborosa, taking into account color perception capabilities of the actual pollinators (nocturnal hawkmoths vs. saprophilous flies) under a geographic perspective. We analyzed the association between transitions across environments and perceptual color axes using comparative methods. Our results revealed two major evolutionary themes in Jaborosa: (1) a "warm subtropical sphingophilous clade" composed of three hawkmoth-pollinated species found in humid lowland habitats, with large white flowers that clustered together in the visual space of a model hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) and a "cool-temperate brood-deceptive clade" composed of largely fly-pollinated species with small dark flowers found at high altitudes (Andes) or latitudes (Patagonian Steppe), that clustered together in the visual space of a model blowfly (Lucilia sp.) and a syrphid fly (Eristalis tenax). Our findings suggest that the ability of plants to colonize newly formed environments during Andean orogeny and the ecological changes that followed were concomitant with transitions in flower color as perceived by different pollinator functional groups. Our findings suggest that habitat and pollination mode are inextricably linked in the history of this South American plant lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Moré
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Ana C. Ibañez
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - M. Eugenia Drewniak
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea A. Cocucci
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva y Biología Floral, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Robert A. Raguso
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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14
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Garcia JE, Phillips RD, Peter CI, Dyer AG. Changing How Biologists View Flowers-Color as a Perception Not a Trait. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:601700. [PMID: 33329670 PMCID: PMC7710862 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.601700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Studying flower color evolution can be challenging as it may require several different areas of expertise, ranging from botany and ecology through to understanding color sensing of insects and thus how they perceive flower signals. Whilst studies often view plant-pollinator interactions from the plant's perspective, there is growing evidence from psychophysics studies that pollinators have their own complex decision making processes depending on their perception of color, viewing conditions and individual experience. Mimicry of rewarding flowers by orchids is a fascinating system for studying the pollinator decision making process, as rewarding model flowering plants and mimics can be clearly characterized. Here, we focus on a system where the rewardless orchid Eulophia zeyheriana mimics the floral color of Wahlenbergia cuspidata (Campanulaceae) to attract its pollinator species, a halictid bee. Using recently developed psychophysics principles, we explore whether the color perception of an insect observer encountering variable model and mimic flower color signals can help explain why species with non-rewarding flowers can exist in nature. Our approach involves the use of color discrimination functions rather than relying on discrimination thresholds, and the use of statistical distributions to model intraspecific color variations. Results show that whilst an experienced insect observer can frequently make accurate discriminations between mimic and rewarding flowers, intraspecific signal variability leads to overlap in the perceived color, which will frequently confuse an inexperienced pollinator. This new perspective provides an improved way to incorporate pollinator decision making into the complex field of plant-pollinator interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jair E. Garcia
- Bio-Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory (BIDS Lab), School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ryan D. Phillips
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions, Kings Park Science, Perth, WA, Australia
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Craig I. Peter
- Department of Botany, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Adrian G. Dyer
- Bio-Inspired Digital Sensing Laboratory (BIDS Lab), School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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15
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Gaffney A, Bohman B, Quarrell SR, Brown PH, Allen GR. It Is Not All About Being Sweet: Differences in Floral Traits and Insect Visitation among Hybrid Carrot Cultivars. INSECTS 2020; 11:E402. [PMID: 32610651 PMCID: PMC7412318 DOI: 10.3390/insects11070402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/1970] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cytoplasmically male-sterile (CMS) carrot cultivars suffer from low pollination rates. In this study, insect visitation varied more than eightfold between 17 CMS carrot cultivars in a field-based cultivar evaluation trial. The visitation rates of honey bees, nectar scarabs, muscoid flies, and wasps each significantly differed among these cultivars. No significant difference in visitation rates was observed among cultivars of different CMS type (brown-anther or petaloid) or flower colour, but cultivars of Berlicumer root type had significantly higher insect visitation rates than Nantes. Six cultivars were further compared in regard to selected umbel traits: as umbel diameter increased, so did the visitation of soldier beetles, while that of honey bees decreased. Finally, nectar of these six cultivars was analysed for sugar content, which revealed monosaccharides to be the most common sugars in all. There was high variation in the levels of sugars from individual umbellets but no significant difference in nectar sugar composition among cultivars, suggesting that nectar sugar composition is of minor importance regarding pollinator attraction to hybrid CMS carrot umbels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Gaffney
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Churchill Ave, Hobart 7005, Australia; (A.G.); (S.R.Q.); (P.H.B.); (G.R.A.)
| | - Björn Bohman
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Perth 6009, Australia
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 102, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Stephen R. Quarrell
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Churchill Ave, Hobart 7005, Australia; (A.G.); (S.R.Q.); (P.H.B.); (G.R.A.)
| | - Philip H. Brown
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Churchill Ave, Hobart 7005, Australia; (A.G.); (S.R.Q.); (P.H.B.); (G.R.A.)
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Bundaberg 4670, Australia
| | - Geoff R. Allen
- Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Churchill Ave, Hobart 7005, Australia; (A.G.); (S.R.Q.); (P.H.B.); (G.R.A.)
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16
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Clem CS, Sparbanie TM, Luro AB, Harmon-Threatt AN. Can anthophilous hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) discriminate neonicotinoid insecticides in sucrose solution? PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234820. [PMID: 32559247 PMCID: PMC7304583 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how neonicotinoid insecticides affect non-target arthropods, especially pollinators, is an area of high priority and popular debate. Few studies have considered how pollinators interact and detect neonicotinoids, and almost none have examined for these effects in anthophilous Diptera such as hover flies (Syrphidae). We investigated behavioral responses of two species of hover flies, Eristalis arbustorum L. (Eristalinae) and Toxomerus marginatus Say (Syrphinae), when given a choice between artificial flowers with uncontaminated sucrose solution and neonicotinoid-contaminated (clothianidin) sucrose solution at field-realistic levels 2.5 ppb (average) and 150 ppb (high). We examined for 1) evidence that wild-caught flies could detect the insecticide gustatorily by analyzing amount of time spent feeding on floral treatments, and 2) whether flies could discriminate floral treatments visually by comparing visitation rates, spectral reflectance differences, and hover fly photoreceptor sensitivities. We did not find evidence that either species fed more or less on either of the treatment solutions. Furthermore, T. marginatus did not appear to visit one of the flower choices over the other. Eristalis arbustorum, however, visited uncontaminated flowers more often than contaminated flowers. Spectral differences between the flower treatments overlap with Eristalis photoreceptor sensitivities, opening the possibility that E. arbustorum could discriminate sucrose-clothianidin solution visually. The relevance of our findings in field settings are uncertain but they do highlight the importance of visual cues in lab-based choice experiments involving insecticides. We strongly encourage further research in this area and the consideration of both behavioral responses and sensory mechanisms when determining insecticidal impacts on beneficial arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Scott Clem
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Taylor M. Sparbanie
- Environmental & Plant Biology Department, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Alec B. Luro
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Alexandra N. Harmon-Threatt
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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17
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Cook DF, Voss SC, Finch JTD, Rader RC, Cook JM, Spurr CJ. The Role of Flies as Pollinators of Horticultural Crops: An Australian Case Study with Worldwide Relevance. INSECTS 2020; 11:E341. [PMID: 32498457 PMCID: PMC7349676 DOI: 10.3390/insects11060341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Australian horticulture relies heavily on the introduced managed honey bee, Apis mellifera Linnaeus 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae), to pollinate crops. Given the risks associated with reliance upon a single species, it would be prudent to identify other taxa that could be managed to provide crop pollination services. We reviewed the literature relating to the distribution, efficiency and management potential of a number of flies (Diptera) known to visit pollinator-dependent crops in Australia and worldwide. Applying this information, we identified the taxa most suitable to play a greater role as managed pollinators in Australian crops. Of the taxa reviewed, flower visitation by representatives from the dipteran families Calliphoridae, Rhiniidae and Syrphidae was frequently reported in the literature. While data available are limited, there was clear evidence of pollination by these flies in a range of crops. A review of fly morphology, foraging behaviour and physiology revealed considerable potential for their development as managed pollinators, either alone or to augment honey bee services. Considering existing pollination evidence, along with the distribution, morphology, behaviour and life history traits of introduced and endemic species, 11 calliphorid, two rhiniid and seven syrphid species were identified as candidates with high potential for use in Australian managed pollination services. Research directions for the comprehensive assessment of the pollination abilities of the identified taxa to facilitate their development as a pollination service are described. This triage approach to identifying species with high potential to become significant managed pollinators at local or regional levels is clearly widely applicable to other countries and taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- David F Cook
- Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 3 Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, WA 6151, Australia
| | - Sasha C Voss
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia;
| | - Jonathan T D Finch
- Plants Animals and Interactions, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia; (J.T.D.F.); (J.M.C.)
| | - Romina C Rader
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Madgewick Drive, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia;
| | - James M Cook
- Plants Animals and Interactions, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia; (J.T.D.F.); (J.M.C.)
| | - Cameron J Spurr
- SeedPurity Pty Ltd., 2 Derwent Avenue, Margate, Tasmania 7054, Australia;
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18
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Dunn L, Lequerica M, Reid CR, Latty T. Dual ecosystem services of syrphid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae): pollinators and biological control agents. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2020; 76:1973-1979. [PMID: 32115861 DOI: 10.1002/ps.5807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
With increasing worldwide pressure on bee pollinator populations and an increase in insecticide resistance amongst pest insects, there is a growing need for diversification of pollinator and pest control systems. Syrphid flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) contribute ecosystem services to agroecosystems through their supporting roles as crop pollinators and predators of pests. Adult syrphids are important pollinators with high floral visitation rates and pollen carrying capacity, while predatory syrphid larvae are natural biological control agents, reducing aphid populations in both field and laboratory conditions. The present challenge is to determine whether syrphid flies have the potential for application as pollinators and in integrated pest management schemes as biological control agents. Currently, there are gaps in research that are hindering the use of syrphids as dual service providers. Such gaps include a lack of knowledge of syrphid floral preferences, the role and viability of adult syrphids as pollinators in natural and agro-ecological pollinator networks, and the predatory efficiency of larvae in field and glasshouse conditions. By reviewing relevant literature, we demonstrate syrphid flies have the potential to be used as pollinators and biological control agents. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucinda Dunn
- Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Manuel Lequerica
- Integrative Ecology Lab, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Chris R Reid
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia
| | - Tanya Latty
- Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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19
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Peng P, Stuart‐Fox D, Chen S, Tan EJ, Kuo G, Blamires SJ, Tso I, Elgar MA. High contrast yellow mosaic patterns are prey attractants for orb‐weaving spiders. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Po Peng
- School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Devi Stuart‐Fox
- School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Szu‐Wei Chen
- Agricultural Policy Research Centre Agricultural Technology Research Institute Taipei Taiwan
| | | | - Guan‐Lin Kuo
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology University of Leicester Leicester UK
| | - Sean J. Blamires
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre School of Biological Earth & Environmental Sciences The University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
| | - I‐Min Tso
- Department of Life Science Tunghai University Taichung Taiwan
| | - Mark A. Elgar
- School of BioSciences University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
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20
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Baracchi D. Cognitive ecology of pollinators and the main determinants of foraging plasticity. Curr Zool 2019; 65:421-424. [PMID: 31423133 PMCID: PMC6688568 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoz036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David Baracchi
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, 50019, Italy
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