Bee Competitive: Research Reveals the Impact of Natural Selection on Nectar Supply and Demand
Published:10 Aug.2021 Source:University of Sussex
New research by the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex shows that natural selection will cause flowers to produce less nectar when pollinators are abundant, and vice versa.
The research, published in the journal Ecology Letters, explains that, when pollinators are scarce, natural selection will cause plants to produce more nectar to outcompete other plants in attracting pollinators. But when pollinators are abundant, plants will be selected to produce less nectar as pollinators are easy to attract and will work for "low wages." The research helps explain why bees and other insects have to work harder to collect nectar in the summer, when there are more pollinators on the wing.