" What's in a name? That Which we call a rose
By Any Other Name Would smell as sweet. "
By Any Other Name Would smell as sweet. "
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose,
by any other name would retain its sweet aroma. " Romeo and Juliet, W. Shakespeare.
The flowers are preferred in amorous conquest and metaphorical comparisons. Flowers inspire our senses and imagination, but above all, inspire the pollinators. If we believe that no one like us to succumb to its fragrance and beauty is because we have not carefully observed a field of flowers. If one succumbs to the flowers are the creatures that visit flowers regularly. Bees, butterflies, bumblebees, beetles, birds and all sorts of small-and not so small-beings are attracted to pollen and nectar offered by flowers in their many shapes and sizes. Many flowers depend on pollinators to be fertilized and then produce fruit and reproduce. And they know their business well because pollinators are hopelessly attracted the flowers for pollen, nectar and other rewards. Flowers and pollinators have coevolved by many thousands of years. In some cases a single pollinator may be associated with a single plant species. For their survival, both depend only on the other. Understanding exactly how this evolutionary dance has occurred between plant species, flowers and pollinators that fertilize is the subject of one of the areas of evolutionary ecology more fruitful and comprehensive. We now know some very interesting things about this type of interaction between plants and animals. We know example that many pollinators are guided by visual cues to find their favorite flowers. Also, volatile organic compounds play an important role in this interaction and there are interesting ways to explore ways in which these compounds attract or repel pollinators. For example, a recent study conducted by a team of 7 researchers led by Claire Suchet Paul Sabatier University used a technique known as electroantennography by which it is possible to measure the response of olfactory receptor in the antenna of an insect under a given olfactory stimulus. |
So if on the other hand are measured volatile organic compounds from a flower you can tell what is the sensitivity of the antennae of an insect to such compounds. This was exactly what Claire and his colleagues did a study focusing on flavor variation of two subspecies of Antirrhinum majus (dragonaria) striatum Antirrhinum majus and Antirrhinum majus pseudomajus . Since in the eastern Pyrenees these flowers are visited by hordes of bumble bees (Bombus terrestris ) your beagle study considered these insects.
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Antirrhinum majus striatum and Antirrhinum majus pseudomajus , picture taken from the referenced article. |
In their study, Claire and her team found that dragonaria flowers emit up to 37 volatile organic compounds and that the two subspecies differed in their aroma, ie, varying in scale and nature of these compounds. They also found that the bees appear to be sensitive to these differences and in fact have an aversion to a compound called acetophenone which is in a high percentage of Antirrhinum majus pseudomajus, ie dragonaria magenta. What are the consequences of this brilliant flower does not smell so sweet to the bees? Why magenta flowers produce large amounts of acetophenone while wild yellow do not? could be that the type magenta produce the compound as a result synthesis of anthocyanin, the compound related to the color magenta. However, this question will be answered in the future because so far little is known about the synthesis of acetophenone. Why have not disappeared magenta flowers if abejorritos not prefer? Well, it's magenta flowers may have won a different battle to the attractive yellow flowers. To attract pollinators is magenta flowers can provide a lucrative prize for the bees, for example, in the form of a delicious nectar. Then, some bees learn to move toward the yellow flowers having a sweeter flavor, while other bees could turn to the magenta-despite its unattractive smell, if it meant getting a higher quality nectar. In the future, Claire and her team plan to see if the flowers with a repulsive acetophenone production offset by a richer pollen to attract pollinators. Claire and his team showed with his flowery study volatile organic compounds play a role in the evolutionary ecology of dragonarias and its interaction with the bees. |
Julieta Although if the rose had a different name would be equally sweet for those chubby bumble-savvy of the flowers is not so. For them, some flowers with names (scientific) different definitely not smell the same.
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Bumblebee visiting another type of flower. Photograph by Simon Koopmann taken Wikimedia Commons. |
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