Sentences with phrase «yucca moths»
Female yucca moths carry pollen from flower to flower in tentacle - like mouthparts — which no other insects possess — and apply pollen by actively packing into the stigma of a yucca flower.
http://lab.jbyoder.org/
Across the Mojave Desert, the shape of Joshua tree pistils correlates with the average length of yucca moths» ovipositors.
Coevolution and divergence in the Joshua tree / yucca moth pollination mutualism.
Not exact matches
Stories of exquisitely specialized pollination systems — such as those of yuccas, which are pollinated only by coevolved moth species — can give the impression that pollination is an exclusive, highly choreographed dance.
Yucca moths have short adult lifespans, so their only substantive food source is yucca seeds; and yuccas have no other effective pollinators.
The moths do this because they are entirely reliant on yucca flowers as a nursery and a food source.