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欧洲和中东以外的地区，在花卉色彩多样性的进化过程中，已经进行的研究和相关调查工作还很少。特别是在膜翅目昆虫视觉系统中澳大利亚植物的进化，我们对此几乎没有了解。在地质发展过程中，由于澳大利亚大陆与其他大陆长期分离，澳大利亚拥有很多特有的植物和动物，物种稀有，珍贵物种所占比例高，对此的研究尤为有价值，值得我们深入探讨。

本研究的目的是在膜翅目昆虫视觉系统的背景下调查澳大利亚本土花木品种的颜色变化,澳大利亚本地蜜蜂天生的颜色偏好(三角黑化型),本地蜜蜂和食物之间的交互欺骗性兰花(Caladenia carnea)。首先,我发现膜翅类的鉴别灵敏度、花卉色彩多样性和膜翅类似乎已经成为澳大利亚花木颜色演化的主要因素。

其次,我发现三角黑化型先天偏好422,437和530海里的波长。第三,我发现蜜蜂能否适应兰花是以花朵的颜色为基础的,因此潜在地解释了颜色的多态性。总之,我的研究表明,澳大利亚植物的进化已经受到膜翅类的影响。

Very little work has been done on the evolution of floral colour diversity, outside of Europe and the Middle East. In particular, we know almost nothing about the evolution of the Australian flora in the context of hymenopteran visual systems. Such a study is likely to be important due to the geologically long isolation of the Australian flora and the high proportion of endemic plant species.

The aims of this study were to investigate the colour of Australian native flowers in the context of hymenopteran visual systems, the innate colour preferences of Australian native bees (Trigona carbonaria), and the interactions between native bees and a food deceptive orchid (Caladenia carnea). Firstly, I found that the discrimination thresholds of hymenopterans match up with floral colour diversity and that hymenopterans appear to have been a major contributor to flower colour evolution in Australia.

Secondly, I found that Trigona carbonaria has innate preferences for wavelengths of 422, 437 and 530 nm. Thirdly, I found that bees were able to habituate to orchid flowers based on colour, thus potentially explaining the colour polymorphism of Caladenia carnea. Together, my study suggests that the evolution of the Australian flora has been influenced by hymenopterans.

1. Introduction

Plant-pollinator interactions

The mutual interactions between pollinators and plants have been suspected in driving angiosperm radiation and diversification in the past (Regal 1977; Crepet 1984; McPeek 1996). The obvious mutual benefit is that pollinators depend on the pollen and/or nectar of flowering plants for food and, in return, partake in the incidental transfer of pollen necessary for plant reproduction (Faegri and van der Pijl 1978; Harder, Williams et al. 2001). Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 67% of angiosperm plants rely on pollination by insects (Tepedino 1979). Hence, pollinators play a critical role in the persistence and survival of flowering plants, which are of high value to the human food chain (Kearns and Inouye 1997; Klein, Vaissiere et al. 2007).

Flower colour signals and sensory exploitation

Colour is the result of the visible light being absorbed or reflected off objects and then processed by the eye and brain of an animal (Le Grand 1968). Light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and can be quantified by the wavelength of different photons of energy (Bueche 1986). The wavelengths reflected off the object are perceived by a visual system as the object’s colour. For example, light that appears blue to a human observer can be described by a dominant wavelength of 400nm, whilst light that appears red is 700nm. Ultraviolet light falls between 300-400nm and can be seen b本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。