Pseudocopulation
Pseudocopulation describes behaviors similar to copulation that serve a reproductive
function for one or both participants but do not involve actual sexual union between the individuals. It is most generally
applied to a pollinator attempting to copulate with a flower.
Some flowers mimic a potential female mate visually, but the key stimuli are often chemical and
tactile.[1] This form of mimicry in plants has been titled Pouyannian mimicry.[2] Orchids commonly achieve reproduction
in this manner, secreting chemicals from glands called osmophores located in the
Pseudocopulation is also used to describe close physical contact between mating animals which have their eggs externally fertilized. Frogs provide one such case, with the male releasing sperm as the female discharges her eggs.[3]
See also
References
- ^ van der Pijl, L., Dodson, C. H. (1966) Orchid Flowers; Their Pollination and Evolution. Coral Gables, FL: Univ. Miami Press
- ^ Pasteur, Georges (1982). “A classificatory review of mimicry systems”. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 13: 169–199.
- ^ pseudocopulation. (2007). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved October 19, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061690
| Mimicry | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cases | Aggressive · Pseudocopulation · Sexual · Vavilovian · Eyespots |  |
| By taxa | Ant mimicry · Mimicry in plants | |
| Concepts | Aposematism · Camouflage/Crypsis · Co-evolution · Frequency dependent selection · Polymorphism · Signalling theory | |
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