Premium
Pollinator Restriction in the Narrow‐tube Flower Type of Mertensia ciliata (James) G. Don (Boraginaceae)
Author(s) -
SUZUKI KAZUO
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
plant species biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1442-1984
pISSN - 0913-557X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-1984.1994.tb00085.x
Subject(s) - bumblebee , boraginaceae , biology , ciliata , botany , pollinator , proboscis , tube (container) , pollination , zoology , pollen , mechanical engineering , protozoa , engineering
Mertensia ciliata (Boraginaceae) includes two flower types with different corolla tube widths, wide and narrow. The former is pollinated by both queens and worker bumblebees, while the latter type is pollinated exclusively by bumblebee workers. Morphological comparisons between the flowers and the bumblebees showed that the relationship between the width of the corolla tube mouth and the head width of the bumblebee is a primary factor restricting pollinators to workers in the narrow‐tube type. Length of the proboscides and corolla tube are of secondary importance for this restriction, since some queens are not able to reach the bottom of a narrow corolla tube even if their proboscis is extended fully.