I understand it is a clever adaptation to ensure pollination and thus seed-production to continue the legacy... But why trap?
Regards Vijayasankar ------------------------------------------------------------------- Vijayasankar Raman, Ph.D. National Center for Natural Products Research University of Mississippi On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 11:35 PM, Vijayasankar <[email protected]>wrote: > Thanks Pankaj for the nice illustrations and explanation. Very > interesting! > The 'trapping mechanism' sounds like a carefully selected adaptive feature > by some of this most-advanced group of plants. > It also makes me to think that they probably in the process of turning > into insectivorous (?), may be in few to several thousand years. > And, they already have achieved a part of that feature (insect trapping > mechanism). > Its hard to imagine, but who knows?! > > > Regards > > Vijayasankar > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > Vijayasankar Raman, Ph.D. > National Center for Natural Products Research > University of Mississippi > > > On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 8:24 PM, Dr Pankaj Kumar > <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Yes this is accidental and caused because the insect was not able to >> release the anther cap and somehow went inside without doing it. >> Bulbophyllum has a very peculiar trapping mechanism for pollinators. They >> have motile labellum and two fang like structures on the column. As the >> insect moves from the tip of labellum towards inside due to shift in weight >> the labellum turns upwards and the two fangs clutches the back of insect to >> hold it. At this point due to movement anther cap is supposed to fall off >> releasing the pollinia on the back of insect. Once the cap and anther is >> released, there is enough gap for the insect to come out after minor >> struggle. >> I tried to make some bad sketch sitting on office table to depict this >> process. Hope it would be understandable. >> Fangs are actually stelidia and the length and structure plats important >> role in identification of species and it also plays important role in >> deciding which insect can actually be a pollinator. >> Best regards >> Pankaj >> >> <https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DqRWU_LSgdg/U0dEUIvNk3I/AAAAAAAACCI/JxsfKPrU4Io/s1600/Bulbophyllum+pollination.jpg> >> >> >> >> >> On Thursday, 10 April 2014 16:27:15 UTC+8, Dr Pankaj Kumar wrote: >>> >>> Dear all >>> >>> Please find some pics shwing pollinators on an Orchid called >>> Bulbophyllum lasiochilum. I have shared few of these pics earlier too, but >>> this time there are two extra images. >>> >>> It depicts how ferocious act of pollination can be. The pollinator got >>> stuck between the column and labellum and died there itself. >>> Hope you will find these interesting. >>> Best regards >>> Pankaj >>> >>> >>> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qhAfAnqwuTk/U0ZVd53Ff3I/AAAAAAAACBg/RVryqV0Fr5g/s1600/POLLINATOR+%282%29.jpg> >>> >>> >>> <https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FVfDQ-OC6eQ/U0ZVnOKL0lI/AAAAAAAACBo/IshjIsBeN0Y/s1600/POLLINATOR+%283%29.JPG> >>> >>> >>> <https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_da3_oMOtYo/U0ZVxFuGeoI/AAAAAAAACBw/_yvgJEDpGwU/s1600/POLLINATOR+%284%29.JPG> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "efloraofindia" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
