Flowers and Insects

Insects on flowers

Insect biodiversity peaks in tropical rainforest environments where a large but as yet unknown proportion of species are found in the canopy. While there has been a proliferation of insect biodiversity research undertaken in the rainforest canopy, most studies focus solely on insects that inhabit the foliage. In a recent paper, we examined the distribution of canopy insects across five microhab...

Simulation of the Coevolution of Insects and Flowers

Flowers need insects for their pollination and insects rely on the nectar and the pollen as a food resource. But instead of visiting all flowers, the insects limit their visits to a small number. This paper presents a simulation of the behavior of the insects which results in a specialized perception of blossom colors and fragrances by the insects. A coevolution can be observed only based on si...

Are insects flower constant because they use search images to find flowers?

Many insects which gather nectar or pollen exhibit flower constancy, a learned fidelity to a particular species of plant. Recent studies suggest that foraging insects may use a perceptual mechanism akin to a search image to detect flowers, in a manner analogous to the way that predators search for prey. This has emerged as an alternative (but not mutually exclusive) explanation for flower const...

Insects on flowers: The unexpectedly high biodiversity of flower-visiting beetles in a tropical rainforest canopy

Diversity and Abundance of Insects in Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria

A field survey was conducted in Wukari, Taraba State to assess the diversity and abundance of insect species in selected habitats (residential, open field made up of grassland and an agroecosystem). Sampling were done biweekly using light, pitfall and yellow pan traps set in 3 replicates, 30 m apart. Insects recovered were wet preserved in 70% ethanol except butterflies and moths. Representativ...