Question

Brightly coloured scented flowers generally show -
a. Entomophily
b. Malacophily
c. Myrmecophily
d. Chiropterophily

Answer 1

Hint: Flowers pollinated by insects classically promote themselves with dazzling colors. Sometimes it attracts eye-catching patterns (honeyguides) leading to rewards of pollen and nectar. They may also have a soothing scent which in some cases imitates insect pheromones.

Complete answer:
> Option A:
Brightly colored scented flowers usually show entomophily. Among entomophily, insects are the pollinating agents. These are the most widespread biotic means of pollination. Bees are the most general insect which works as pollinating agents. Butterflies, flies, beetles, wasps, ants, moths are other pollinating agents. Flowers are brilliantly colored and scented to attract the insects.

> Option B:
Pollination by slugs and snails is known as malacophily. Land plants such as Chrysanthemum and water plants like Lemna exhibit malacophily. Arisaema (an aroid; snake plant) is regularly visited by snails.

> Option C:
Myrmecophily is the term useful to positive interspecies associations among ants and a variety of other organisms like plants, other arthropods, and fungi.

> Option D:
Chiropterophily is the pollination of plants, generally occurring by bats. Bat pollination is most ordinary in tropical and desert areas that have many night-flourishing plants. Just like bees and birds that pollinate, nectar-uptaking bats have evolved ways to find and yield the sweet liquid.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: Insect pollinators such as bees have alterations for their role. Lapping or sucking mouthparts to intake nectar and in some species also pollen creels on their hind legs are examples of such adaptations. This required the co-evolution of insects and flowering plants in the growth of pollination actions by the insects and pollination mechanisms by the flowers. All these things finally benefit both groups.