Palynivore

Palynivore

In zoology, a palynivore is an herbivorous animal which selectively eats the nutrient-rich pollen produced by flowering plants, including gymnosperms. Most true palynivores are insects or mites. The category in its strictest application includes essentially all bees, and a few different kinds of wasps, as pollen is often the only solid food consumed by all life stages in these insects (palynivorous mites and thrips typically feed on the liquid content of the pollen grains without actually consuming the exine). The list is expanded greatly if one takes into consideration species where either the larval or adult stage feeds on pollen, but not both; there are other wasps which are in this category, as well as many beetles, flies, butterflies, and moths. There is a vast array of different insects that will feed opportunistically on pollen, as will various birds and other nectarivores.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • List of feeding behaviours — Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffix vore from Latin vorare, meaning to devour , or phagy, from Greek φαγειν, meaning to eat . Mosquito drinking blood …   Wikipedia

  • Cannibalism — For non human cannibalism, see Cannibalism (zoology). For other uses, see Cannibal (disambiguation). Cannibalism, Brazil. Engraving by Theodor de Bry for Hans Staden s account of his 1557 captivity …   Wikipedia

  • Carnivore — Carnivorism redirects here. For the diet, see No carbohydrate diet. For other uses, see Carnivore (disambiguation). Lions are voracious carnivores; they require up to seven kilograms (15 lbs) of meat per day. A major component of their diet is… …   Wikipedia

  • Coprophagia — A female Oriental Latrine Fly (Chrysomya megacephala) feeds on animal feces. Coprophagia or coprophagy is the consumption of feces, from the Greek κόπρος copros ( feces ) and φαγεῖν phagein ( to eat ). Many animal species practice coprophagia as… …   Wikipedia

  • Herbivory — is a form of predation in which an organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally autotrophsCampbell, N. A. (1996) Biology (4th edition) Benjamin Cummings, New York ISBN 0 8053 1957 3] such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria.… …   Wikipedia

  • Geophagy — The red and green macaw eats clay from exposed riverbanks, allowing it to utilize nutrients in harmful foods. Geophagy is the practice of eating earthy or soil like substances such as clay, and chalk. It exists in animals in the wild and also in… …   Wikipedia

  • Predation — For alternative meanings of predator and prey, see Predator (disambiguation) and Prey (disambiguation). Predating can also mean dating earlier than : see wiktionary:predate. Indian Python swallowing a small Chital deer at Mudumalai National Park …   Wikipedia

  • Heterotroph — Overview of cycle between autotrophs and heterotrophs A heterotroph (English pronunciation: /ˈhɛtərɵtroʊf/; ἕτερος heteros = another , different and τροφή trophe = nutrition ) is an organism that cannot …   Wikipedia

  • Omnivore — Ravens are omnivores. Omnivores (from Latin: omni all, everything; vorare to devour) are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source. They are opportunistic, general feeders not specifically adapted to eat and digest… …   Wikipedia

  • Kleptoparasitism — Great Frigatebirds chasing a Red footed Booby in order to steal its food. Kleptoparasitism or cleptoparasitism (literally, parasitism by theft) is a form of feeding in which one animal takes prey or other food from another that has caught,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”