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PHOTOGRAPHIC VISUALIZATION OF FLORAL COLORS AS PERCEIVED BY HONEYBEE POLLINATORS
Author(s) -
McCrea Kenneth D.,
Levy Morris
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1983.tb06404.x
Subject(s) - pollinator , biology , ultraviolet , botany , daylight , pollination , optics , pollen , physics
An inexpensive photographic technique for visualizing the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths perceived by honeybees is described. Using a standard daylight‐balanced color slide film and illumination from blacklight and filtered daylight fluorescent lamps, a recording balance was achieved which approximates the spectral sensitivity of the honeybee eye. The technique was used to illustrate floral features among Rudbeckia species and among color morphs of Phlox . The Rudbeckia have inflorescences that are similar in visible coloration but distinctive in ultraviolet patterning and Phlox color morphs are distinctive in visible coloration but similar in ultraviolet patterning. The efficacy of the technique was judged from comparison with in vivo reflectance spectra of the floral subjects. Generally, photographic visualizations of entomophilous flowering plants portray only the ultraviolet or the visible components of floral coloration. This technique emphasizes the importance of considering the entire spectrum of floral colors relevant to most insect pollinators.