Coevoltuion

COEVOLUTION 

Blowflies  are flies that have co evolved with the African starfish flower.   The African starfish flower produce an odor that resembles rotting flesh.  Because of mimicry, these flies are attracted to these flowers because they think the flowers are decaying animal corpse and they can not resist the stench  In addition, the colors of the flowers and even the tiny hairs in side the flowers deceive the blowfly  into thinking it is a piece of carrion.     The symbiotic relationship between the blowflies and African starfish flower is parasitism.  The flies helped the flower to reproduce as they aid in pollination.  When the flies entered the flower, thinking its decaying flesh, the male and female  parts of the flower along with membranes and sacs combine into a complex structure that traps the body parts of insects.   When the fly manages to free itself, a clip that contains two pollen sacs of the plant attaches to the insect. The clip will be deposited  at the next flower the fly visits, and the pollen germinates, causing fertilization and development of seed. The relationship is parasitism, therefore the flies do not receive any benefits from the relationship. In fact, since the flies release their eggs on these flowers because blowflies usually lay their eggs in carrion. However, the flower are not a food source for the eggs, thefore the eggs will die as larvae.