Relationship between Floral Characters and Floral Visitors of Selected Angiospermic Taxa from Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Southern Western Ghats, India

Abstract

Diurnal floral visitors of 27 woody Angiosperms wet'e observed from Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), Southern Western Ghats, Tirunelveli District, between 2008 and 2010. The foraging profiles of floral visitors as well as the flower characters were analysed. It was found that although visitor profiles were sometimes consistent with classic pollination syndromes, these syndromes were unreliable predictors of floral visitors. The majority of flowering plants was unspecialized in their morphology, and consequently hosted a diverse array of visitors. Bees being the potential pollinators visited species with purple or pink flowers that are not strictly confirm to the melittophilous syndrome. Bright coloured, tubular flowers were associated with birds, with more accessible nectar. Ants were noted as nectar thieves in some plants. Altitude was a major factor in determining visitors, with flies being the most abundant visitors of m any plant species, while others received very few potential pollen vectors.