Oligolecty
Encyclopedia
The term oligolecty is used in pollination
ecology to refer to bee
s that exhibit a narrow, specialized preference for pollen
sources, typically to a single genus of flowering plants. The preference may occasionally extend to multiple genera within a single plant family, or be as narrow as a single plant species.
Such pollinators are often called oligoleges or simply specialist pollinators, and this behavior is especially common in the bee families Andrenidae
and Halictidae
. Attempts have been made to determine whether this narrow host preference is due to an inability of the bee larva
e to digest and develop on a variety of pollen types, or a limitation of the adult bee's learning and perception (i.e., they simply do not recognize other flowers as potential food sources), and most of the available evidence suggests the latter. However, a few plants whose pollen contains toxic substances (e.g., Zigadenus) are visited by oligolectic bees, and these may fall into the former category.
There are some cases where oligoleges collect their host plant's pollen as larval food, but for various reasons rarely or never actually pollinate the flowers. A well-studied example is the relationship between the Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea) and the Passionflower Bee (Anthemurgus passiflorae) fin Texas
.
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
ecology to refer to bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s that exhibit a narrow, specialized preference for pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
sources, typically to a single genus of flowering plants. The preference may occasionally extend to multiple genera within a single plant family, or be as narrow as a single plant species.
Such pollinators are often called oligoleges or simply specialist pollinators, and this behavior is especially common in the bee families Andrenidae
Andrenidae
The family Andrenidae is a large cosmopolitan non-parasitic bee family, with most of the diversity in temperate and/or arid areas , including some truly enormous genera...
and Halictidae
Halictidae
Halictidae is a cosmopolitan family of the order Hymenoptera consisting of small to midsize bees which are usually dark-colored and often metallic in appearance...
. Attempts have been made to determine whether this narrow host preference is due to an inability of the bee larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e to digest and develop on a variety of pollen types, or a limitation of the adult bee's learning and perception (i.e., they simply do not recognize other flowers as potential food sources), and most of the available evidence suggests the latter. However, a few plants whose pollen contains toxic substances (e.g., Zigadenus) are visited by oligolectic bees, and these may fall into the former category.
There are some cases where oligoleges collect their host plant's pollen as larval food, but for various reasons rarely or never actually pollinate the flowers. A well-studied example is the relationship between the Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea) and the Passionflower Bee (Anthemurgus passiflorae) fin Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.