Coloured nectar: distribution, ecology, and evolution of an enigmatic floral trait

@article{Hansen2007ColouredND,
  title={Coloured nectar: distribution, ecology, and evolution of an enigmatic floral trait},
  author={Dennis M. Hansen and Jens M. Olesen and Thomas Mione and Steven D. Johnson and Christine B. M{\"u}ller},
  journal={Biological Reviews},
  year={2007},
  volume={82}
}
While coloured nectar has been known to science at least since 1785, it has only recently received focused scientific attention. However, information about this rare floral trait is scattered and hard to find. Here, we document coloured nectar in 67 taxa worldwide, with a wide taxonomical and geographical distribution. We summarise what is currently known about coloured nectar in each of the lineages where it occurs. The most common nectar colours are in the spectrum from yellow to red, but… 
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Dark purple nectar as a foraging signal in a bird-pollinated Himalayan plant.

5-Hydroxyflavylium was found to be the cause of the nectar colouration, the function of which is to act as a foraging signal to increase pollination efficiency through nectar visibility and palatability.

Convergent evolution of a blood-red nectar pigment in vertebrate-pollinated flowers

This work cumulatively identifies a convergently evolved trait in two vertebrate-pollinated species, suggesting that the red pigment is selectively favored and that only a limited number of compounds are likely to underlie this type of adaptation.

Evolutionary ecology of nectar

Significant progress can be made by studies that quantify current selection on nectar in natural populations, as well as experimental approaches that identify the target traits and selective agents involved, and studies exploring these more complex forms of natural selection are needed.

The diversity, ecology and evolution of extrafloral nectaries: current perspectives and future challenges.

The understanding of the roles EFNs play in plant biology is being revolutionized with the use of new tools from developmental biology and genomics, new modes of analysis allowing hypothesis-testing in large-scale phylogenetic frameworks, and new levels of inquiry extending to community-scale interaction networks.

Bird pollinators differ in their tolerance of a nectar alkaloid

Investigation of how nectar-feeding birds respond to artificial nectar containing the alkaloid nicotine, present in nectar of Nicotiana species finds that bulbuls showed the highest tolerance for nicotine, and sugar type (sucrose or hexose) had no effect, while the indifference of bulbuls to nicotine may be related to their primarily frugivorous diet.

Sugary Exudates in Plant Pollination

Floral nectar evolved rapidly when the transition from naked ovule to closed carpel was completed and the pollination drops were no longer available as a food resource for insects.

Extrafloral nectaries mediate the arboreal beetle community (Coleoptera) in a Neotropical rainforest

It is demonstrated unequivocally that EF nectar is a frequently utilised food resource of many beetle adults and beetles have been a significantly underestimated visitor group, supporting the hypothesis that EFNs influence the occurrence and structure of beetle communities.

Visibility and attractiveness of Fritillaria (Liliaceae) flowers to potential pollinators

The role of visual attraction in species offering a robust food reward for pollinators early in the spring is clarified, which is the case for Fritillaria and the potential tendencies in the evolution of floral traits crucial for plant-pollinator communication are searched for.

The importance of floral signals in the establishment of plant-ant mutualisms

Visual and olfactory floral signals are essential for the establishment of plant-pollinator mutualisms. Different batteries of floral features attract different pollinators and may achieve specific…

The importance of floral signals in the establishment of plant-ant mutualisms

It is suspected that the study of floral signals in Cytinaceae is critical in the understanding of the divergence of pollination systems in this fascinating family of parasitic plants.
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