Pollen digestion in flower-feeding Scarabaeidae : protea beetles (Cetoniini) and monkey beetles (Hopliini)
Master Thesis
2000
Permanent link to this Item
Authors
Journal Title
Link to Journal
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Publisher
University of Cape Town
Department
Faculty
License
Series
Abstract
Beetles pollinate over 80% of all flowering plants and feed on the two most common floral rewards, nectar and pollen. Pollen is nutritionally very valuable, being a rich protein and carbohydrate source. However, the hard and highly resistant outer wall (exine) of the grain is an obstacle that pollen-feeders must overcome in order to benefit from the pollen's nutritious protoplasm. There are a variety of mechanisms that pollen-feeders may use to deal with the exine. Collembolans secrete exinase that breaks down the wall, but other pollen-feeders do not produce this enzyme. Pollen-feeders that are unable to ingest grains may either pierce the grain and suck out the contents (thrips and biting-flies) or cause the grain contents to leach out an imbibe the leachate (butterflies and the eucalupt nectar fly). Pollen-feeders that can ingest the grains (bees, syrphid flies, rodents, marsupials, bats and birds) may use osmotic shock, pseudo-germination, exudation, microbial digestion or enzyme penetration to gain access to the protoplasmic contents. Further study is needed to define the details of these methods and whether they are all in use.
Description
Bibliography: leaves 95-104.
Keywords
Reference:
Johnson, S. 2000. Pollen digestion in flower-feeding Scarabaeidae : protea beetles (Cetoniini) and monkey beetles (Hopliini). University of Cape Town.