Study of Flowers with Two Types of Anthers Solves Mystery That Baffled Darwin
Published:13 Jan.2021 Source:University of California - Santa Cruz
Most flowering plants depend on pollinators such as bees to transfer pollen from the male anthers of one flower to the female stigma of another flower, enabling fertilization and the production of fruits and seeds. Bee pollination, however, involves an inherent conflict of interest, because bees are only interested in pollen as a food source.
"The bee and the plant have different goals, so plants have evolved ways to optimize the behavior of bees to maximize the transfer of pollen between flowers," explained Kathleen Kay, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz.