Orchid sexual deceit provokes ejaculation

The American Naturalist
A C GaskettM E Herberstein

Abstract

Sexually deceptive orchids lure pollinators by mimicking female insects. Male insects fooled into gripping or copulating with orchids unwittingly transfer the pollinia. The effect of deception on pollinators has been considered negligible, but we show that pollinators may suffer considerable costs. Insects pollinating Australian tongue orchids (Cryptostylis species) frequently ejaculate and waste copious sperm. The costs of sperm wastage could select for pollinator avoidance of orchids, thereby driving and maintaining sexual deception via antagonistic coevolution or an arms race between pollinator learning and escalating orchid mimicry. However, we also show that orchid species provoking such extreme pollinator behavior have the highest pollination success. How can deception persist, given the costs to pollinators? Sexually-deceptive-orchid pollinators are almost exclusively solitary and haplodiploid species. Therefore, female insects deprived of matings by orchid deception could still produce male offspring, which may even enhance orchid pollination.

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Citations

Oct 3, 2009·Die Naturwissenschaften·A C Gaskett, M E Herberstein
Apr 10, 2010·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·A C Gaskett
Jan 31, 2014·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Marinus L de Jager, Allan G Ellis
Jun 5, 2013·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Marinus L de Jager, Allan G Ellis
Apr 19, 2011·Phytochemistry·Manfred AyasseWittko Francke
Sep 8, 2009·Trends in Plant Science·Nigel D Swarts, Kingsley W Dixon
May 12, 2010·Ecology Letters·Conrad J Hoskin, Megan Higgie
Jun 20, 2017·Journal of Biological Dynamics·Virgilio Vázquez, Ignacio Barradas
Oct 31, 2019·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Bruce Anderson, Marinus L de Jager
Sep 22, 2020·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Michel BaguetteBertrand Schatz
Mar 27, 2021·Current Biology : CB·Callan CohenSteven D Johnson
Jun 7, 2021·Die Naturwissenschaften·A L Brunton MartinJ C O'Hanlon

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