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Carrion flowers attract flies and other carrion-feeding insects by their smell. [12] Orbea variegata illustrated.. Carrion flowers, including the enormous Amorphophallus titanum, [11] mimic the scent and appearance of rotting flesh to attract necrophagous (carrion-feeding) insects like flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), blowflies (Calliphoridae), house flies and some beetles (e.g., Dermestidae and ...
Diagram of flower parts. In botany, floral morphology is the study of the diversity of forms and structures presented by the flower, which, by definition, is a branch of limited growth that bears the modified leaves responsible for reproduction and protection of the gametes, called floral pieces.
In plants with bisexual flowers, the anthers and carpels may mature at different times, plants being protandrous (with the anthers maturing first) or protogynous (with the carpels mature first). [citation needed] Monoecious species, with unisexual flowers on the same plant, may produce male and female flowers at different times. [citation needed]
The color or odor of flowers promotes this isolation as plants effectively manipulate the behavior of their animal pollinators. An example of this type of manipulation is found in orchids as they mimic female bees and wasps in order to attract male pollinators as a form of sexual deception referred to as pseudocopulation. [2]
Pouyannian mimicry is a form of mimicry in plants that deceives an insect into attempting to copulate with a flower. The flower mimics a potential female mate of a male insect, which then serves the plant as a pollinator. The mechanism is named after the French lawyer and amateur botanist Maurice-Alexandre Pouyanne.
The flower shapes may force insects to pass by the pollen, which is "glued" to the insect. Some orchids are even more highly specialized, with flower shapes that mimic the shape of insects to attract them to attempt to 'mate' with the flowers, a few even have scents that mimic insect pheromones.
For example, male inflorescence in plants often produce more flowers than females . Furthermore, pollen export and ultimately paternity, often increases with flower number, even for plants with hermaphroditic flowers. Retention of older flowers with no pollinator rewards can lead to increased pollinator visitation rate and increased pollen removal.
Interspecific sexual mimicry can also occur in some plant species, especially orchids. In plants employing sexual mimicry, flowers mimic mating signals of their pollinator insects. These insects are attracted and pollinate the flowers through pseudocopulations or other sexual behaviors performed on the flower.