Science World Colour Call
In this activity, students practice identifying which colour flowers each pollinator is most likely to pollinate.
Pollinators prefer flowers of a specific colour range. The colour that a pollinator is attracted to is dependent on their visible colour spectrum, the shape of their tongue, and their food sources. This preference of colour, shape, and smell of a flower is called a pollination syndrome.
Scientists have found that bees that visit yellow, violet or blue flowers are the most successful in finding nectar. Flies prefer brown or purple flowers, butterflies prefer pink flowers, moths prefer white flowers and birds are attracted to flowers that are red. These are general colour preferences because pollinators can still pollinate a range of colours as they visit flowers for a nectar meal.
Variation (6:46)
Welcome to today's lesson on variation, where we explore the differences in characteristics among individuals within a population. In this video, we’ll discuss how these differences stem from genetic factors, environmental influences, or a combination of both.
Variation and Mutations (04:25)
Variation in traits is passed to offspring and increased by recombination of genes during sexual reproduction. Variation helps enable a species to adapt to new conditions. Mutations increase variation, influencing natural selection.
