• 2020: Vědecká ilustrace a virtuální příroda
• Sailee Sakhalkar

This series contains three illustrations of plants and their pollinators. The first illustration is of European temperate meadow flowers and their pollinators. It shows how plant traits matter in the selection of pollinators. The second illustration is of the Cameroonian Kigelia plant and its pollinator sunbirds. The last illustration describes how insects feed on flowers in different ways, determining whether the flower is pollinated or not. This series is an accompaniment to the compiled thesis of Yannick Klomberg from the Insect Community Ecology Group. 1) European meadow flowers and their pollinators: Flowers have different shapes and colours that they use to attract visitors. Different groups of visitors such as bees, butterflies and moths all have different preferences. In the illustration, you can see that flowers visited by moths and butterflies are tubular, while those visited by flies are more open. 2) Kigelia and sunbirds In the rainforests of Mount Cameroon, some plant species have evolved for pollination by sunbirds. One such species is Kigelia, whose bright-red flowers and large amounts of nectar appeal to sunbirds. To make it easier for sunbirds to feed on Kigelia, its inflorescence is sturdy, allowing birds to perch as they drink nectar. 3) Trait-matching in Brillantaisia flowers Although flowers advertise themselves to only specific pollinators, sometimes other insects are also attracted to the flower. Not all of these pollinate the flower. What determines the legitimacy of a visitor is its feeding strategy and its body form. In this example, the African Brillantaisia has bright purple flowers that act as a trap. When a visitor of the right size (such as the large bees) lands on the lower flower, the flower places pollen on its back. Some other insects can drink nectar without triggering the trap, stealing nectar. In the image, small Amegilla bees and butterflies have tongues that access nectar without touching the anthers or stigma of the flower.