A remarkable case of ornithophily in Calceolaria: food bodies as rewards for a non-nectarivorous bird

SÉRSIC, ALICIA N.; COCUCCI A. A.

BOTANICA ACTA

G. Thieme Verlag

Lugar: Alemania; Año: 1996 vol. 109 p. 172 - 176

0932-8629

Abstract: In Southernmost South America, the pollination biology of Calceolaria uniflora Lam. (Scrophulariaceae) was studied in the field. One of the most striking features of the flower of this species is a corolla appendage folded against the outside of the lower lip. This massive and fleshy structure is pecked off by Thinocorus rumicivorus(Thinocoridae, Charadriiformes) as a food body. The percentage of damaged flowers averaged 64% and was as high as 81% in one study site. Pollen is placed on the front of the bird's head by the exerted stamens with versatile anthers. This pollination syndrome is unique for the bird involved and exceptional for the kind of reward offered. This Calceolaria species, and probably a second one endemic to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), are the only ornithophilous species in a mostly oil-bee pollinated genus. Their reproduction strategy appears to be adapted to an environment lacking in oil-collecting bees.