May 15, 2009
Weekly News UpdateFlower Surface Lets Bees Get a Grip
Special cells on the surface of flower petals helps bees and other insect pollinators get a grip. (Photo credit: Jack Dykinga/USDA)
Scientists have long wondered why the surface of many insect-pollinated flowers are covered with cone-shaped cells. Researchers at the University of Cambridge in England recently discovered the reason why. In a report published online in the journal Current Biology by Beverley Glover and several colleagues, the scientists explain that the unusual petal surface cells help bees and other pollinating insects get a grip on the flower's surface.
The researchers found that pollinating insects such as bumblebees prefer to land on flowers that have these special cells over other flowers that lack the cone-shaped cells. The special cells act like Velco, temporarily attaching the pollinating insect's feet to the surface of the flower. By getting a strong grip on the flower's surface, the insects are able to extract nectar from the flower in a more efficient manner.
Research using artificial flower petals and snapdragon flowers with a variety of petal surface cell shapes showed that bumblebees are able to detect which flowers have these special cells by touch. The researchers conclude that similar relationships between flower surface cells and pollinating insects will be found for a variety of plants and insects other than just snapdragons and bumblebees.