Snapdragon Pollination
Pollination of Snapdragons is done by a variety of different
insects. The following list of pictures gives a few samples of
pollinator species as well as of the different techniques used.
Snapdragon is usually pollinated by bumble bees. Honey bees are
not able to open up the mouth. But some bumble bees penetrate the
flower tube from the side, avoiding the power consuming opening of
the flower. This opening may then be used by others like honey bees to
collect the nectar. This of course does nothing to ensure the pollination
of the flower. Syrphid flies and other smaller insect can benefit from
some flower mutants with impaired morphology of the petals.
Most of the photographs have been donated by Iris Heidmann (ihe) from the
Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung.
The species determination of the pollinators is only tentative, since
no animals were collected or killed but only "hunted" with the camera.
Pollinators:
- Honey bees ("Honigbienen"):
- ihe_slide_0012 (38570 Bytes) Honey
bee (Apis
mellifica) unable to open the mouthparts, collecting a bit of pollen from
the closed flower.
- Solitary bees ("Solitäre Bienen"):
- ihe_slide_0002 (41289 Bytes)
Megachile sp. (Solitary bee, "Bauchsammler") In flight. Could be
Megachile centuncularis a common polylectic (unspecialized)
species.
- ihe_slide_0001 (39800
Bytes) Same solitary bee ("Bauchsammler") entering a
snapdragon flower backwards collecting pollen with the ventral
abdomen hairs.
- ihe_slide_0013 (64769
Bytes) Solitary bee. Moment
after landing and before the entering. In process of turning itself upside
down. See also ihe_slide_0001 and
ihe_slide_0002.
- ihe_slide_0014 (37184
Bytes) Solitary bee. Next step before entering.
- ihe_slide_0015 (45968
Bytes) Solitary bee. Entering.
- Bumble bees ("Hummeln"):
- ihe_slide_0003 (43005 Bytes)
Bombus sp. in flight, approaching the flower.
- ihe_slide_0004 (56716 Bytes)
Bombus sp. upon
entering the flower the classic way, opening up the mouth, sucking from
the bottom of the tube and beeing powdered by pollen on the back of the
thorax.
- ihe_slide_0005 (43309 Bytes)
Bombus sp. Another classic attempt to pollinate.
- ihe_slide_0006 (25165 Bytes)
Bombus sp. Moving deeper in.
- ihe_slide_0011 (48548 Bytes)
Bombus sp. Classic method.
- ihe_slide_0007 (64195 Bytes)
Bombus
terrestris ("Erdhummel"). "Stealing" the nectar by penetrating the tube from
the side.
- ihe_slide_0008 (55017 Bytes)
Megabombus pascuorum floralis ("Ackerhummel") Also "stealing" from the side.
- ihe_slide_0010 (63083 Bytes)
Bombus terrestris ("Erdhummel"). A bumble bee strong enough to open the
mouthparts.
- phu_pict0005 Bumble bee.
- Syrphid flies ("Schwebfliegen"):
- ihe_slide_0009 (51332
Bytes) Episyrphus balteatus ("Gemeine Winterschwebfliege") Syrphid
fly. Though beeing attracted to a wild type flower is unable to enter.
- ihe_slide_0016 (61831
Bytes) Episyrphus balteatus ("Gemeine Winterschwebfliege") Syrphid
fly. Benefitting from the open flower of a mutant
(choripetala) snapdragon.This is
a common syrphid fly species with little specialisation to certain flowers.
- Other flies ("Sonstige Fliegen"):
This page is part of the
Snapdragon Home Page.
The URL of this page is
http://www.mpiz-koeln.mpg.de/~stueber/snapdragon/.html
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This page has last been modified on May 12, 1997.
