Simulated and empiric wind pollination patterns of conifer ovulate cones

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Abstract
Wind tunnel analyses of conifer ovulate cones [Pinus australis, P. resinosa, P. rigida, P. strobus, P. sylvestris] indicate that the total geometry of the cone enhanced the probability of pollen entrapment. Aerodynamic characteristics of cone scale-bract complexes are such that suspended pollen is directed toward the micropyles of attached ovules. Within the taxa examined, there appears to be a preferential entrapment by ovulate cones of pollen of the same species. The data are interpreted as evidence for an aerodynamic reciprocity between wind-suspended pollen and the structure of ovulate cones which increases the frequency of pollination and the potential for fertilization.