Artigo Revisado por pares

Protea nectar and satellite fauna in relation to the food requirements and pollinating role of the Cape sugarbird.

1980; Academy of Science of South Africa; Volume: 76; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês

ISSN

1996-7489

Autores

D. P. Mostert, W. R. Siegfried, G. N. Louw,

Tópico(s)

Plant Parasitism and Resistance

Resumo

The nectar of Protea repens, a preferred food plant of the Cape sugarbird, Promerops cafer, contains on average 11.7 g/100ml of reducing sugars. but very low concentrations of protein and amino acids. Satellite insects are also taken by the sugarbird and the highest mean biomass of insects recorded in a single inflorescence was 86.0 mg (dry mass). These data, together with an estimate of the daily energy budget of the sugarbird, show that the birds must visit a very large number of blooms daily to satisfy their energy requirements. In doing so they fulfil an important requirement of an ideal pollinator.

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