- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
Pollination Biology 1400-235BZR-OG
The scope and history of pollination biology.
Why it is worth studying plant pollination biology? History of pollination studies: ancient observations, discovery of plant sex, beginning of systematic studies of pollination systems, Opera magna of 18th and 19th centuries (Muller, Sprengel, Darwin, Knuth). 20th century hypothesis of pollination syndromes. New techniques: antheclogy and phylogenetics, pollination network analyses.
Flowers, pollination and fertilization
What is a flower and what is it for? Flower structure: one model, many variants. Inflorescences: types and function. Why do animal visit flowers? Atractants and flower rewards. Pollination - act of mutualism or parasitism. The case of Yucca and Ficus. Costs and advantages of zoogamy.
Plant reproductive strategies.
Plant sex. Self- and crosspollination: pros and contras. Self-incompatibility (genetic and biochemical aspects). Pollination and what next? Pollen tubes' wars and female choice. Selective abortion of embryos. Dichogamy: evolution and consequences. Hetrostyly - a way of cross-pollination or optimalization of pollen transfer. Apimictic plants.
Evolutionary history of zoogamy and specialization of pollination systems.
Co-evolution of flowers and animals. Evolutionary trends in flower structure. Efficiency of pollination. Insect visit vs. pollination. Faithful pollinators. Advantages and disadvantages of specialization.
Various forms of zoogamy (pollination by insects, birds, mammals etc.).
Pollination by deception
Flower mimicry. Flower deception and lernig processes in bees. Sexual deception. Trap flowers and inflorecences.
Water and wind as vectors of pollination
Economic implication of plant pollination.
Crop pollination. How much is a bee worth? Do we face the "pollination crisis"? Alien plants and imported polllinators. Pollination networks and tehir conservation. Future directions of pollination studies.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Bibliography
Faegri K. & van der Pijl L. 1979. The Principles of Pollination Ecology, 2nd ed. Pergamon Press, Oxford.
Harder L.D. & Barrett S.C.H. (eds.) 2006. Ecology and evolution of flowers. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Pellmyr O. 2002. Pollination by animals. W: Plant-Animal Interaction. An Evolutionary Approach. C.M. Herrera & O. Pellmyr (eds.), Blackwell, Oxford. ss 157-184.
Proctor M., Yeo P. & Lack A. 1996. Natural History of Pollination. Harper Collins Publishers, London.
Waser N.M. & Ollerton J. 2006. Plant-pollinator interactions. From specialization to generalization. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London.
Additional information
Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:
- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: