Optimal concentrations in nectar feeding

Condensed Matter journal club

Optimal concentrations in nectar feeding

  • Event time: 11:30am
  • Event date: 14th October 2011
  • Speaker: Mathias Reufer (University of Edinburgh)
  • Location: Room 2511,

Event details

Abstract

Nectar drinkers must feed quickly and efficiently due to the threat of predation. While the sweetest nectar offers the greatest energetic rewards, the sharp increase of viscosity with sugar concentration makes it the most difficult to transport. We here demonstrate that the sugar concentration that optimizes energy transport depends exclusively on the drinking technique employed. We identify three nectar drinking techniques: active suction, capillary suction, and viscous dipping. For each, we deduce the dependence of the volume intake rate on the nectar viscosity and thus infer an optimal sugar concentration consistent with laboratory measurements. Our results provide the first rationale for why suction feeders typically pollinate flowers with lower sugar concentration nectar than their counterparts that use viscous dipping.
Online pdf version

Authors

Wonjung Kim, Tristan Gilet, and John W. M. Bushb

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Given the diversity of research in the CM group, chosen topics vary widely. We tend to stick to high-impact journals - Nature, Science, PNAS and PRL have been popular - but this is not prescriptive..

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