Institute of Experimental Ecology
- 1:
Workgroup Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Kalko. - 2: Workgroup Prof. Dr. Manfred Ayasse.
- 2.1:
Research.- 2.1.1:
Current projects.- 2.1.1.1:
Pheromonal dominance. - 2.1.1.2: Social parasitic bumblebees.
- 2.1.1.3: Reproduction in bees .
- 2.1.1.4: Deceptive orchids.
- 2.1.1.5: Speciation in orchids.
- 2.1.1.6: Pollination in wasp flowers.
- 2.1.1.7: Bee plant recognition.
- 2.1.1.1:
- 2.1.2: Publications.
- 2.1.1:
- 2.2: Academic staff.
- 2.3: PhD candidates.
- 2.4: Diploma / Master students.
- 2.5: Bachelor.
- 2.6: Technical staff.
- 2.1:
- 3: Apl. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Maier.
- 4: Teaching & seminars.
- 5: Publications.
- 6: Contact us.
- 7: Find us.
Pollinator attraction in wasp-flowers
- Epipactis helleborine (above) and Dendrobium sinense (below) and wasp pollinators (Photos J. Brodmann, H. Paulus)
Particular species of the orchid genus Epipactis and of the genus Scrophularia are typical “wasp-flowers”, exhibiting physiological and morphological adaptations for the attraction of pollinating social wasps. Although there is much reported about wasp-pollinated flowers there is little known about the signals that are responsible for the attraction of wasps. Recent studies performed clearly showed that odour is involved in the wasp attraction. However, it remains an unanswered question why wasp-flowers almost exclusively attract social wasps, as opposed to other pollinators. In a comparative approach we are studying the chemical ecology and pollinator attraction of wasp-flowers in Germany, Turkey and China.
Coworker: 
Jennifer Brodmann
Collaborations: Wittko Francke, Robert Twele (both University of Hamburg), Jin Cheng, Yi-Bo Luo (Institute of Botany, Beijing)
Funding: Sterling International Inc, Spokane