Pankaj: I knew it! you are not only a nice kid (sometimes high pitta) you are also a creative kid... love it... good for you... Vermiculiphily.: though strictly scientific is also playful and sounds like supercalifragilisticexpialidosious... something mary poppins would rattle off or Sukumar Ray;'s AAbol taabol nonsense rhymes may sound off... I'll download the pdf s and read 'em in am... will write to you then
Question of pheromone may be easy now in this decade to set up hypothesis and test it... but question of just scent/perfume for perfumes' sake .. as in just simply liking it versus for reproductive imperative.. is difficult to set up in Humans ... so I wonder how could it be tested in insects... one needs to deeply ponder ... esp during the alpha states of the mind/ brian activity and come up with creative protocols and set ups... one would need a suitable insect to study... etc etc.. In the mean time I'll to share with you and all members of Eflora a utube video..short really put up by the TED director himself ... about how flowers and insects may have co-evolved etc... a beautifully done short video well presented too... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmVZ8zXJO48 Jonathan Drori: The beautiful tricks of flowers enjoy Usha di ====== On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 6:15 AM, Pankaj Kumar <[email protected]> wrote: > Good morning Usha mam > Sorry for the late reply, I some how missed this post. > I couldnt find any article which proves about Gongora but there is > another article about pollination by cricket which I am attaching. > There is second article on Epipactis veratrifolia also which I am > attaching. This finding was published when I was writing my article > and yes I have less facilities and money to work with but what I added > was a new means of pollination by larvae. I coined this term > Vermiculiphily. > There are ways to do chemical analysis of pheromones and other > volatiles but in case of Gongora, the scent is not used as pheromone > but perfume, so I imagine how it can be proved!! May be people with > more resources would be able to do it somewhere some day. Please check > the process in Pollination by hoverflies article. > Best regards > Pankaj > > > > On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 11:17 PM, ushadi Micromini > <[email protected]> wrote: > > pankaj ...i agree with all above > > loved the video.. > > > > question ... how does one prove the hypothesis about scent being the > target > > for the bees, and not the oil per se for some sort of protection against > the > > sun/uv or predator... > > are these questions exclude able? or > > excluded by others before you? > > > > like to read ... from you or refs > > thanks > > usha di > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 8:26 PM, Satish Phadke <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > >> Pankaj ji > >> Thanks for sharing so many things including your observations. > >> > >> On Wed, May 30, 2012 at 6:34 AM, Dr Pankaj Kumar < > [email protected]> > >> wrote: > >>> > >>> All animals that visit the flowers may not be pollinators. Its not very > >>> strange. But those visitors like > >>> 3 & 4: Insect on flower so yes it can be pollinator. There is a term > >>> called head space. in pic no. 3, the insect, the way it enters > the flower, > >>> doesnt look like it can pollinate the flower!! > >>> 6: The butterfly is not on the flower, just the calyx, hence it is > >>> looking for something else on non reproductive parts. Probably not a > >>> pollinator. > >>> 7: Too small to be a pollinator > >>> 9 & 10: again not on flowers but the persistent calyx, hence may not be > >>> pollinators. > >>> Studies on pollinators are really interesting topic which Indians have > >>> been avoiding. There are so many endemic plants in India. Point is why > they > >>> are endemic??? One of the reasons may be the limitation of > pollinators. We > >>> should encourage people to work on this aspect of botany. Its very > >>> interesting and we can get lot of good information out of it. The best > thing > >>> is, its a multidisciplinary subject: botany, entomology, ecology, > >>> chemistry, behaviorial ecology.... > >>> Some on take up this task please. > >>> In HK I am studying an Orchid called Bulbophyllum bicolor. It is > supposed > >>> to be endemic to HK. But till now I have seen around 4 insects > visiting, but > >>> they were never able to pollinate. The plant doesnt set fruit in wild > but > >>> they occur in wild at many localities. I am coming up with some very > >>> interesting findings. While studying it, I found some secretions on > >>> the flower surface. Just while I was studying this species, I spent > some > >>> time on another Bulbophyllum laxiflorum. Insects were coming and > spending > >>> lot of time outside flower as if they were collecting something from > the > >>> surface of petals and sepals which till now has not been reported from > this > >>> genus. > >>> Then I came across interesting works done on another orchid called > >>> Gongora. In this, the bees collect FRAGRANCE from the floral parts to > >>> attract females. They collect and apply the fragrance over their body > and > >>> while doing so, they pollinate the flowers. Isnt that interesting..... > :)) > >>> Watch the video. > >>> > >>> > http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchidtalk/genus-specific/26352-gongora-pollinators-wild.html > >>> Best wishes > >>> Pankaj > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> On Tuesday, 29 May 2012 22:28:14 UTC+8, Bhagyashri Ranade wrote: > >>>> > >>>> Hello, > >>>> May 2012 Pune. > >>>> Found 4 pollinators foraging the small herb of Ocimum tenuiflorum > (Tulas > >>>> in Marathi) at my home. > >>>> The ?wasp and ?bees were seen around 11.00 am to 2.00pm followed by > the > >>>> butterfly and the insect in the late evening. > >>>> pic 3&4 -is it yellow jacket wasp? > >>>> Pic 6- is it Common Cerulean? > >>>> Please validate > >>>> Would appreciate your help to Id the bees and the insect too. > >>>> > >>>> -- > >>>> Thanks and regards > >>>> Bhagyashri > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Dr Satish Phadke > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Usha di > > =========== > > > > > > -- > ********************************************************************** > "Taxonomists getting Extinct and Species Data Deficient !!" > > > Pankaj Kumar, Ph.D. > Conservation Officer > > Office: > Orchid Conservation Section > Flora Conservation Department > Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) Corporation > Lam Kam Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong. > > Residence: > 36C, Ng Tung Chai, Lam Tseun > Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong. > > email: [email protected]; [email protected]; > [email protected] > Phone: +852 2483 7128 (office - 8:30am to 5:00pm); +852 9436 6251 > (mobile). Fax: +852 2483 7194 > -- Usha di =========== ========
