Flowers Use Heat Patterns to Attract Pollinators
According to a new article recently published in eLife, “55% of the 118 plant species studied with thermal imagers revealed temperature variations greater than 2ºC (3.6ºF) within a single flower,” IFLScience.com reported. The average difference was almost 9ºF and the most extreme internal difference reported was 20ºF.
These heat differences, in conjunction with visual and olfactory appeal, can not only help flowers stand out, but can also help pollinators identify their favorite flowers.
“The presence of multiple cues on flowers in known to enhance the ability of bees to forage efficiently, so maximizing the amount of food they can take back to sustain the rest of their colony,” lead author Dr. Heather Whitney said.
Read more about this discovery here.
