When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bees’ body attract pollen grains through electrostatic forces.
Did those hairs evolve because it helps spread the bees’ food source, or do they serve another purpose?
Comment on Why do bees/pollinators pollinate other plants?
ironeaglebird@sopuli.xyz 10 months ago
Bees make excellent pollinators because most of their life is spent collecting pollen, a source of protein that they feed to their developing offspring. When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs all over the bees’ body attract pollen grains through electrostatic forces.
Basically plants have coevolved with these pollinating insects. Plants that can develop the best pollen that sticks to these insects are able to reproduce more successfully. While bees for example are collecting it as there food.
AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Offlein@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Ha I was writing another comment on this thread when this got posted, but I just feel like it’s important, relevant to that, to say that the hairs didn’t evolve FOR any specific purpose.
ironeaglebird@sopuli.xyz 10 months ago
Well said. Evolution doesn’t have a goal. I ran into the difficulty when teaching is that students tended to assign purpose to mutations that are currently beneficial.
ironeaglebird@sopuli.xyz 10 months ago
Possibly when furrier bees evolved, it could be that the fur was protecting them from harsh weather conditions and allowing them to fly further and making it to more flowers. Then the fur builds electrostatic forces as the bee went along with its day. Attracting more pollen to stick onto their bodies. The bees also use the fur to wipe pollen from their eyes and off their legs.
Essentially furrier bees were more successful at feeding their offspring than non-fur bees. Which was selecting for even furrier bees in the following generations continuing to the furry honeybees we see today.
ebits21@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
I would point out that the furry bees transfer more pollen, which leads to more of the plants and ultimately flowers that the bee likes.
Therefore the furry bees have an advantage by increasing their own food supply.
SeahorseTreble@lemmy.world 10 months ago
So, the plants found a way to hijack the bees’ journey by putting some extra pollen on them to transfer to other flowers, since they’re already there taking pollen anyway. That’s awesome.
over_clox@lemmy.world 10 months ago
youtube.com/shorts/IhYtwBA3NNs
Secondary comment, still not an expert…
But even if there were no bugs on the planet, I’m pretty sure a good stiff breeze would still make pollen move…
ironeaglebird@sopuli.xyz 10 months ago
The flowers are also evolving to spread pollen to reproduce. Flowers have evolved to be bright, colorful and have pollen that bees want. Flowers are able to get there pollen spread and bees get food.