Floral Biology
- 1st Edition - March 1, 1965
- Author: M. Percival
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 1 0 6 0 9 - 0
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 3 0 2 - 8
Floral Biology attempts to show how floral biologists conduct their experiments and what techniques they employ in floral biology. The techniques employed include those of physics,… Read more

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Request a sales quoteFloral Biology attempts to show how floral biologists conduct their experiments and what techniques they employ in floral biology. The techniques employed include those of physics, chemistry, physiology, psychology, genetics, and ecology, and so constitute a broad training in biology that may be useful and acceptable in other fields. Organized into 11 chapters, this book begins with a discussion on sex in flowers; the biology of the floral parts; agencies of pollination; and the pollen, nectar, and nectaries. Some chapters follow on pollination by birds, bats, and insects. The features of entomophilous flowers and isolating mechanisms in flowers are also described. Some hints for students, such as the tools required, how to make them, and a schedule of procedure for examining the floral biology of a species, are given in the last chapter. This book will attract workers, who, armed with the techniques and stimulated by the findings of the investigators, can introduce the floral biology to other fields.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter I Sex in Flowers
Sex Distribution in Plants
Types of Pollination
Chasmogamy and Cleistogamy
Chapter II The Biology of the Floral Parts
The Calyx
The Corolla
The Androecium
Pollen
The Stigma and Style
Chapter III Agencies of Pollination
Anemophily
Hydrophily
Rain Pollination
Chapter IV Animal Food in Flowers — Pollen
The Composition of Pollen
Value of Pollen as a food
Presentation of Pollen
The Ecology of Anther Dehiscence
The Rhythm of Pollen Presentation
The Significance of Pollen Collection
Chapter V Animal Food in Flowers — Nectar and Nectaries
The Nature of Nectaries
The Composition of Nectar
Concentration of Nectar
Quantity of Nectar
The Ecology of Nectar Secretion
Chapter VI Pollination by Birds (Ornithophily)
Body Structure of Flower-visiting Birds
The Senses of Flower-visiting Birds
The Features of Bird Flowers
The Behavior of Flower-visiting Birds
The Efficiency of Birds as Pollinators
The Adaptation of Birds to Plants
Chapter VII Pollination by Bats (Cheiropterophily)
Features of "Bat" Flowers
The Behavior of the Pollinator
Chapter VIII Pollination by Insects (Entomophily)
The Anthophilous Insects
The Collection of Pollen
Modifications for the Collection of Pollen
Modifications for Collecting Nectar
Insect Senses
Insect Behavior in Relation to Flowers
Flower Form
Development of the pattern of Foraging Behavior
Patterns of Foraging
The Significance of Phenology in the Insect-Flower Relationship
Chapter IX The Features of Entomophilous Flowers
Nectar and Pollen Flowers
Types of Pollination
Bee Flowers
Carpenter-bee Flowers
Fly Flowers
Moth Flowers
Butterfly Flowers
Pollination by Wasps
Pollination by Beetles
Chapter X Isolating Mechanisms in Flowers
Mechanical Isolation
Ethological Isolation
Breeding Systems in the Flowering Plants
Floral Biology — Links with Other Disciplines
Chapter XI Practical Work in Floral Biology
References
Bibliography
Indices
Animal
Plant
Subject
- No. of pages: 260
- Language: English
- Edition: 1
- Published: March 1, 1965
- Imprint: Pergamon
- Paperback ISBN: 9780080106090
- eBook ISBN: 9781483293028
MP
M. Percival
Affiliations and expertise
University College of South Wales, WalesRead Floral Biology on ScienceDirect