o Any organism that accepts and utilizes a reward from a flower can be
considered a pollinator, as long as it transfers the pollen.
- Oil for hive construction & feeding (bees)
o Pollinators are diverse, thus radiating the angiosperms and insects,
diversifying the insect lineage.
- Different pollinators = morphologically different flowering plants.
- There needs to be a tight mechanical fit between the flower and the
pollinator so that there is accurate transfer of pollen.
• Examples
- Protea recondita has a pale-yellow flower hidden within leaves.
o Pollinated by grey mongoose during the day & spotted genet at night.
o Grey mongoose primary diet is small animals; however, the sweet
nectar is also a food source.
,- Protea witzenbergiana has reddish, dark brown
flowers.
o Flowers droop down for rodents to have
better access
- Protea punctata have pollen presenters (sharp flowers) coming out of
inflorescence.
o Length of presenter is the same as the
insects to transfer pollen to their bodies
(bees, flies, insects).
❖ Eastern Cape
- Contains 6 of 7 biomes, diverse.
o Fynbos, Forest, Grassland, Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo, Savannah,
Thicket.
• Found on clay soils, areas transformed by agriculture (< 5% of original
vegetation).
• Characterized by Grasses & Renosterbos (Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis)
• Large diversity in bulbs (geophytic plants)
❖ Pollinator Driven Speciation
- Paper (Patterns of plant speciation in the CFR) studied ecological shifts among
188 sister species from 8 Cape plant clades
o Results: 80% of taxa showed shifts in habitat and pollinators.
o This is seen especially in the Disa species.
, ➢ Sister Taxa of Disa
Disa harveiana
• occurs in mountains and is pollinated by the horse fly.
o Orchid holds its pollen in a pollinia (pollen packet), this is the male
gamete.
o Has no nectar so mimics traits of nectar flowers to attract flies.
o Horse fly has a long proboscis where the pollinia gets stuck at the base.
Disa draconis
• occurs on sand planes and is pollinated by the Tanglewing fly
• Does not produce nectar but has tubes to attract the fly
o Tanglewing fly has a longer proboscis.
The Cape is famous for specialised pollination systems, similar to the tropics.
- Study by Steven Johnson says that in SA 114 Irids & Orchids; each species has
a single pollinator.
- Northern hemisphere has 5 pollinator species per plant.
- 23 specialized pollination systems forming pollination guilds, often
geographically restricted.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller amaliaamaro02. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R75,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
