Pollination and floral ecology

Abstract

This book is a comprehensive reference to all aspects of pollination biology—and the first fully up-to-date resource of its kind to appear in decades. The beautifully illustrated book describes how flowers use colors, shapes, and scents to advertise themselves; how they offer pollen and nectar as rewards; and how they share complex interactions with beetles, birds, bats, bees, and other creatures. The ecology of these interactions is covered in depth, including the timing and patterning of flowering, competition among flowering plants to attract certain visitors and deter others, and the many ways that plants and animals can cheat each other. The book pays special attention to the prevalence of specialization and generalization in animal–flower interactions, and examines how a lack of distinction between casual visitors and true pollinators can produce misleading conclusions about flower evolution and animal–flower mutualism. The book also gives insights into the vital pollination services that animals provide to crops and native flora, and sets these issues in the context of today’s global pollination crisis.