Plants Increase Nectar Production in Response to Pollinator Buzzing Sounds, Study Finds

Plants can hear tiny wing flaps of pollinators

Colorful snapdragons can respond accordingly when bees are buzzing nearby.

Plants increase nectar production in response to pollinator buzzing sounds, study finds

When pollinators visit flowers, they produce a variety of characteristic sounds, from wing flapping during hovering, to landing and takeoff. However, these sounds are extremely small compared to other vibrations and acoustics of insect life, causing researchers to overlook these insects' acoustic signals often related to wing and body buzzing.

The zumbar consists in producing noise or continuous sound and bronchus, like the one that sometimes occurs within the same ears. Many insects buzz, especially those with wings that move quickly, such as flies, mosquitoes, bees and some types of beetles. The bees are among those bugs is the bee, identified by honey, its sting and organizational ability. It is an insect with many abilities including learning, remembering and adapting to new situa…

The plants would be able to hear the buzz of nearby pollinating bees, which would cause them to produce a larger amount of sweeter nectar.

Although the relationship between plants and pollinators has been studied for decades, not too much attention has been paid to the sounds that insects emit when flying, posing or flitting near flowers, buzzing that are almost imperceptible compared to other types of vibrations present in the natural environment. Now an international team [...]

Plants are a lot more intelligent than you might think. Did you know, for example, that they can hear when a pollinator is approaching? They even prepare for its arrival. When a bee or other animal visits a plant, it produces various sounds. Think of the flapping of its tiny wings when landing or the […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl .