11 Flashcards
Pollinator networks (the community interactions between a plant and pollinators, they are apart of a community) are nested and subsidized by?
Common generalists.
A specialized, rare, pollinated plant can host its pollinators directly or indirectly, and why?
Indirectly since the pollinator cannot be sustained by the plant, so must rely on a more common and generalized plant.
Are obligate specialists very rare or common in pollinator networks?
Very rare
The benefits of specialized flowers?
•High fidelity pollination (they have loyal pollinators as long as they don’t go extinct and are common).
•Niche market: reduced competition
•Conserve resources (not having to deal with competition with neighbours)
Costs of specialized flowers?
•you depend on that pollinator
•extinction risk
Generalized flowering plants benefits?
•diversified pollinators
•ecological stability
•range extension
Generalized flower costs?
•compete with neighbours for the same pollinators
•pollen transfer loss
•attract inefficient or harmful visitors.
•wrong pollen on that plant that can clog it and blog your own pollen.
What is very important to show readers about your manipulation?
It didn’t destroy the organism or test organisms.
How did researchers disable synthesis of nicotine or benzyl acetone ?
•EV: empty vector, which is a control for the transgenic construct.
•PMT: putrescine methyl transferase: blocks nicotine
•CHAL: chalcone synthase-like: blocks benzyl acetone
•CP: double mutant: not scented at all
Assumptions made on why nicotine is in the nectar?
•RNAi worked as planned, phenotypes are altered.
•RNAi worked ONLY as planned, other phenotypes are NOT altered.
•Act of transforming plant did not alter OTHER phenotypes or plant quality.
•Act of transforming plant did not alter the response variables (damage, seed fitness, paternity, siring, etc.)
When nicotine is not present in a flower, hummingbirds tend to remain in the flower for shorter/longer?
Longer.
Why does plants want nicotine?
Since a hummingbird will visit a flower for a very short period of time, and then move on. This means more pollen can spread.
Nicotine in plants can filter out?
Hector-robbing carpenter bees.
Nicotine in plants prevents?
Buds from being eaten by tobacco budworm caterpillars.
Paternity analysis?
How far did your pollen go for form young. Makes sure they don’t self pollinate and ruin experiments.
