Rick
Well-Known Member
I agree that pollinators and biogeography are generally in tune with taxonomy, however... there is strong evidence that Odontoglossum and Oncidium are different genus, that's where I say that the similar pollinator cannot be used as an important character to bring these two genera together again! and that's what I was talking about... on the other hand, as I said, I need to verify the source where I read that, because... welll we would start the discussion again
Sharing a "similar" pollinator is generally not good enough to separate species or genera. The common honey bee pollinates a wide array of plant species and genera (and correctly these various genera of plants are not lumped together). Too use the pollinator argument you also need the space and time component of the pollination act coupled with the specific pollinator in question (not just gross groupings such as "flies" or "bees").
On the other hand, is the split between genera such as Odontoglossum and Oncidium based on flower characteristics or DNA so completely arbitrary, that general fly vs.bee pollination strategies can be used as a "coin flipper" for separating or grouping at the genus level?