Pollination syndrome

A recurring combination of floral traits associated with pollination by a particular group of animals or by abiotic agents such as wind.

Floral reward: Food or other resources that flowers provide to attract animal visitors. Nectar and pollen can reinforce the visits that syndrome-associated traits attract.
Melittophily: Pollination by bees. Bee-associated flowers often combine landing platforms, scent, and colors bees can perceive.
Pollination generalization: A pattern in which flowers are visited and pollinated by multiple kinds of animals. Generalized systems challenge the expectation that each floral pattern maps to one pollinator group.
Predictive power of pollination syndromes: The degree to which floral traits accurately predict the animals that pollinate a plant. Testing prediction directly reveals where syndrome-based classifications succeed or fail.
Floral scent: Volatile chemicals emitted by flowers that influence animal behavior. Scent can guide pollinators when visual cues are limited or absent.
Phalaenophily: Pollination by moths. Moth-associated flowers often offer nighttime scent and accessible nectar.
Pollination specialization: A pattern in which plant reproduction depends on a narrow set of pollinators. Specialization is stronger than the broad trait associations implied by a syndrome.
Floral trait evolution: Evolutionary change in the characteristics of flowers across generations. Multiple pressures can shape the same traits attributed to pollinator associations.
Flower color: The visible coloration produced by pigments and structural properties of floral tissues. Color is one of the sensory cues often included in a syndrome.
Ornithophily: Pollination by birds. Bird-associated flowers commonly provide conspicuous displays and abundant nectar.

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