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Bumblebee Pollination
This is a great example of mutualism, in which two species benefit from an association. The bee pictured in this photo is the common eastern Bumblebee; Bombus impatiens. This picture was taken right outside of Friday Hall near the greenhouse, on the UNCW campus on Monday June 6th, 2016. This picture shows the Bumblebee accessing a major resource, vital to its existence; nectar. While it obtains the nectar, the flowers benefit by being cross pollinated by the Bumblebee. This is an expensive tradeoff for the flower. Producing nectar, and attractive, colorful flowers for the bee are of no nutritional value to the plant, but this is an important sacrifice to make since it allows it to reproduce. These Bumblebees also possess an important coloration that warns potential predators to stay away. This is called apoematism. In order for this function to work, predators must have a previous unpleasant experience associated with the color patterns. I for one, have been stung by similarly colored wasps and definitely learned that being stung by organisms with this coloration does not feel particularly great. Even though I had to get close to capture this picture, I maintained a fair distance from these bees!
"Common Eastern Bumblebee." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 June 2016. .
Smith, Robert Leo. "Parasitism and Mutualism." Elements of Ecology. By Thomas M. Smith. 8th ed. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2012. 311-12. Print.
Smith, Robert Leo. "Predation." Elements of Ecology. By Thomas M. Smith. 8th ed. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2012. 286-87. Print.
Bumblebee Pollination
This is a great example of mutualism, in which two species benefit from an association. The bee pictured in this photo is the common eastern Bumblebee; Bombus impatiens. This picture was taken right outside of Friday Hall near the greenhouse, on the UNCW campus on Monday June 6th, 2016. This picture shows the Bumblebee accessing a major resource, vital to its existence; nectar. While it obtains the nectar, the flowers benefit by being cross pollinated by the Bumblebee. This is an expensive tradeoff for the flower. Producing nectar, and attractive, colorful flowers for the bee are of no nutritional value to the plant, but this is an important sacrifice to make since it allows it to reproduce. These Bumblebees also possess an important coloration that warns potential predators to stay away. This is called apoematism. In order for this function to work, predators must have a previous unpleasant experience associated with the color patterns. I for one, have been stung by similarly colored wasps and definitely learned that being stung by organisms with this coloration does not feel particularly great. Even though I had to get close to capture this picture, I maintained a fair distance from these bees!
"Common Eastern Bumblebee." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 June 2016. .
Smith, Robert Leo. "Parasitism and Mutualism." Elements of Ecology. By Thomas M. Smith. 8th ed. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2012. 311-12. Print.
Smith, Robert Leo. "Predation." Elements of Ecology. By Thomas M. Smith. 8th ed. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2012. 286-87. Print.