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Paper: Academic paper with UV, bees and birds.


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Not sure where such a topic should belong...

 

The paper can be downloaded here (not the final pdf).

 

https://www.research..._of_UV-patterns

 

Bees, birds and yellow flowers: Pollinator-dependent convergent evolution of UV-patterns

 

Abstract:

 

Plant Biology (Impact Factor: 2.41). 02/2015; DOI: 10.1111/plb.12322

ABSTRACT Colour is one of the most obvious advertisements of flowers and occurs in a huge diversity among the angiosperms. Flower colour is responsible for the attraction from a distance, whereas contrasting colour patterns within flowers aid orientation of flower-visitors after approaching the flowers. Due to the striking differences in colour vision systems and neural processing across animal taxa, flower colours evoke specific behavioural responses by different flower-visitors. We tested whether and how yellow flowers differ in their spectral reflectance depending on the main pollinator. We focused on bees and birds and examined whether the presence or absence of the widespread UV-reflectance pattern of yellow flowers predicts the main pollinator. Most bee-pollinated flowers displayed a pattern with UV-absorbing centres and UV-reflecting peripheries, whereas the majority of bird-pollinated flowers are entirely UV-absorbing. In choice experiments we found that bees did not show consistent preferences for any colour- or pattern-types. However, all tested bee species made their first antennal contact preferably at the UV-absorbing area of the artificial flower irrespective of its spatial position within the flower. The appearance of UV-patterns within flowers is the main difference in spectral reflectance between yellow bee- and bird-pollinated flowers, and affects the foraging behaviour of flower-visitors. The results support the hypothesis that flower colours and the visual capabilities of their efficient pollinators are adapted to each other. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

 

Maybe jointly, we can do something together (novel ideas and data-gathering) and I can help publishing a paper from the members of UVP here :) :)

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Maybe jointly, we can do something together

 

That is a very difficult suggestion to give constructive response to – you may need to be more detailed.

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just brain storm what is not done, and what can be done with our cameras etc.

 

That is a very difficult suggestion to give constructive response to – you may need to be more detailed.

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Most bee-pollinated flowers displayed a pattern with UV-absorbing centres and UV-reflecting peripheries, whereas the majority of bird-pollinated flowers are entirely UV-absorbing.

 

I've made these correlations myself - in a practical way, that is no spectral measurements, just photographs. And Bjørn also. And most likely other UV photographers here (but I cannot speak for their experiences since their experiences are not well known to me.) But given that one sees bees all over certain "non-patterned" UV-absorbing Asteraceae, it is certainly not a hard & fast rule. Example: Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (although this is white not yellow).

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Besides, flowers that appear uniformly yellow to the eye may be rendered very differently in UV and appear "non-patterned" or "patterned" (we like to think they all have a UV signature - or UV pattern if you like - and this comprises so much more than the alleged UV nectar guides, such as iridescence, conical cell shape and distribution, etc.). There is a multitude of examples in the UV Botanicals board. We see similar with red and blue flowers too, but perhaps the variation is greatest among the yellow flowers.
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I have read before that pollinated flowers have a different or changed UV signature, from the un-pollinated flowers UV signature, but I have not seen any illustrated examples of this phenomena.

Col

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i wonder if we make artificial flowers, with the UV black area/bright area reversed: e.g. black eyed susan flowers, reverse each petal. and put sugar in the center...will bees be really confused? as this does not happen naturally. or they will learn fast and go to to the sugar anyway.
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Yes, if we give them a reward, they will learn quite fast.

 

However, if we just present them with just empty flowers, they might land right at the inter-juncture of uv black and yellow, perhaps.

 

I'm thinking that they will learn. :D

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