Tobacco plant thwarts caterpillar onslaught by opening flowers in the morning
Friday, January 22, 2010 - 11:21
in Mathematics & Economics
We normally think of pollinators as providing a valuable service to plants, and they certainly do. In exchange for nectar, pollinators like the well-known honey bee carry pollen from one plant to the other and thus promote cross-fertilisation. But what happens when the pollinators aren't satisfied with their nectar rewards and decide to eat their generous plant partners? Just such a scenario arises in a number of plant-pollinator mutualisms in which the pollinator deposits eggs on the plant, which then develop into herbivorous larvae. What is a plant to do when faced with such a dilemma?...
Read the whole article on Science Centric
More from Science Centric
Related
- Tobacco plant thwarts caterpillar onslaught by opening flowers in the morningThu, 21 Jan 2010, 13:38:52 EST
- When flowers turn up the heatWed, 28 Jul 2010, 17:28:59 EDT
- Bitter-tasting nectar and floral odors optimize outcrossing for plantsThu, 28 Aug 2008, 14:56:41 EDT
- Red light regulates nectar secretionMon, 27 Sep 2010, 11:50:55 EDT
- Plants mimic scent of pollinating beetlesTue, 3 Apr 2012, 12:37:40 EDT