Birds and Nature, Vol. 08, No. 2, September 1900: Illustrated by Color PhotographyVarious
History
Birds and Nature, Vol. 08, No. 2, September 1900: Illustrated by Color Photography
Various
Birds -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals
When the higher forms appeared, however, flowers of a different
character gave evidence that a new type of pollination was being
devised. Instead of the old wasteful method, insects were called in to
act as agents of the transfer. By securing an animate agent there is
a definiteness in the pollination and a saving in pollen production
which is quite in contrast with the wind method. It must not be
supposed that all flowers have learned to use insects with equal skill,
for many of them may be said to be clumsy in their arrangements. On the
other hand, certain families have reached a high degree of organization
in this regard, and arrange for insect visits with a skill and
completeness of organization which is astonishing.
In order to secure visits from insects, so that pollination may be
effected, flowers have been compelled to do several things. In the
first place, they must provide an attractive food. This has taken two
prominent forms, namely, nectar and pollen. There are insects, such
as butterflies, which are not only attracted by the nectar, but whose
mouth parts have only been adapted for sucking up a liquid. There
are other insects, however, like the bees, wasps, etc., which are
able to take the more substantial pollen as food. Accordingly insects
which visit flowers may be roughly divided into the two classes,
nectar-feeders and pollen-feeders.
In the second place, the flower must notify the insect in some way that
the food is present. This is done primarily by the odors which flowers
give off. It must not be supposed that odors which are sensible to
us are the only ones sensible to insects, for in general their sense
of smell is far keener than ours. It is also probably true that the
display of color, which is so conspicuously associated with flowers, is
an attraction to insects, although this has become somewhat doubtful
lately by the discovery that certain insects which were thought to be
attracted by color have proved to be color blind. At present, however,
we have no reason to suppose that color is not associated in some
prominent way with the visits of insects.
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