What is the association between the bumble bee and its favourite orchid Ophrys? How would extinction or
What is the association between the bumble bee and its favourite orchid Ophrys? How would extinction or change of one would affect the other?
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Commensalism because Ophrys employs sexual deceit to get pollination by species of bee as petal of its flower bears resemblance to female of the bee in size, colour and markings and so male bee is attracted to what it perceives as female; pseudo copulates with the flower and thus pollinates it. If the female bee’s colour patterns change even slightly due to any reason during evolution, pollination success will be reduced unless the orchid flower co-evolves to maintain the resemblance of its petal to the female bee.
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