Thursday, March 7, 2013

Nectar That Gives Bees a Buzz Lures Them Back for More

Summary:  Many plants go to very extreme length in order to attract pollinators such as bees. Some use scents nectar or fruits.  For plants that have bees as pollinators, they use nectar. The nectar that is in plants is very addictive for bees because of its caffeine content. The concentrations are very high in the leaves, and could be considered toxic, which helps ward off predators. In the nectar however, the content of caffeine is low enough that it keeps the bees coming back for more and more nectar.

Connection: During our plants unit, we have discussed animal pollination versus wind pollination. This is an example of animal pollination. The flowers use their sugary nectar to attract bees to help them pollinate. The nectar keeps the bees coming back.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/science/plants-use-caffeine-to-lure-bees-scientists-find.html

Works Cited: Gorman, James. "Nectar That Gives Bees a Buzz Lures Them Back for More." New York Times. 7 March 2013. New York Times. Web. 7 March 13.


4 comments:

  1. Do flowers ever run out of nectar?

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    Replies
    1. While the amount of nectar produced varies, all these flowers replenish nectar through photosynthesis and the glucose made from it.

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  2. Does the caffeine in the nectar make the bees more alert and active, the way it does in humans, or just improve their memory?

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    Replies
    1. I couldn't find any articles suggesting that it makes bees more alert or active, but I did find some articles about it.
      http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/07/173465469/if-caffeine-can-boost-the-memory-of-bees-can-it-help-us-too
      and
      http://news.yahoo.com/bees-needs-caffeine-104531251.html

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