Handbook of Pollinators of European Orchidaceae

The ways in which pollinators are attracted by orchids are varied and, sometimes, as in the genus Ophrys, spectacular. They can be grouped into 3 groups: 1) the offering of food (nectar), 2) the visual deception (species that simulate nectarifers) and 3) sexual deception.Within the third group, sexual deception reaches its most perfect form in the genus Ophrys. The flowers mimic the virgin females of certain Hymenoptera.The drones of these Hymenoptera attempt to copulate with the flowers (pseudocopula) and they pollinate them during the process. The flower mimics the shape of the female insect (visual mimicry) and emits a mixture of compounds that simulate pheromones of females in heat (chemical mimicry).

Autorentext

José Lara Ruiz - Graduate in Biological Sciences from the University of Granada. Professor of Biology. Biologist, expert in pollinator biology. Independent researcher. After 40 years of fieldwork, he has published numerous scientific and popular articles and several books.