TRAPAÇAS E ENGANOS: MIMETISMO FLORAL NA POLINIZAÇÃO POR ENGODO

Abstract

The flower plays a key role in communication between pollinators and Angiosperms. This communication occurs mainly in two ways: visual and chemical communication. Visual communication is the main process, which explains why most flowers have colors that stand out from the environment. On the other hand, chemical communication plays an important role, with floral scents attracting insects and activating their cognitive system faster. In most cases, floral signaling indicates the presence of resources for animal feeding, reproduction or nesting. However, there are cases where deceptive pollination where the nonrewarding flower mimics a rewarding one. Thus, the present work presents an overview of the most studied deceptive pollination strategies, within an ecological-evolutionary context.