Peakall R, Beattie A J, James S H
Botany Department, University of Western Australia, 6009, Nedlands, Australia.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Northwestern University, 60201, Evanston, IL, USA.
Oecologia. 1987 Oct;73(4):522-524. doi: 10.1007/BF00379410.
The orchid Leporella fimbriata is pollinated by pseudocopulation with winged males of the ant Myrmecia urens. This recently studied interaction provides a unique opportunity to examine the two current hypotheses concerning the apparent rarity of ant pollination systems worldwide. The first hypothesis requires a series of specialized growth forms and floral characteristics regarded as adaptations to ant pollination. L. fimbriata does not possess them. The second considers the pollenicidal effects of secretions from the metapleural gland of ants. These glands are absent in M. urens males and it may be that the occurrence of ant pollination requires the absence of metapleural glands in the vector.
兰花Leporella fimbriata是通过与有翅雄蚁Myrmecia urens进行拟交配来授粉的。这种最近被研究的相互作用提供了一个独特的机会，来检验目前关于全球蚂蚁授粉系统明显稀少的两个假说。第一个假说需要一系列被视为适应蚂蚁授粉的特殊生长形式和花部特征。Leporella fimbriata并不具备这些特征。第二个假说考虑了蚂蚁后胸侧板腺分泌物的杀花粉作用。在Myrmecia urens雄蚁中不存在这些腺体，而且可能蚂蚁授粉的发生需要传粉者中不存在后胸侧板腺。
