When Plant Pollen Scarce, Bumblebees Biting Leaves Causes Flowers to Bloom Early (2 of 6) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

When Plant Pollen Scarce, Bumblebees Biting Leaves Causes Flowers to Bloom Early (2 of 6)

Caption

A bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) worker damaging a plant leaf. Bee-inflicted leaf damage leads to accelerated flowering and may have implications for the phenological synchrony of plants and pollinators. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the 22 May issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by F.G. Pashalidou at ETH Zürich in Zurich, Switzerland, and colleagues was titled, "Bumble bees damage plant leaves and accelerate flower production when pollen is scarce."

Credit

Hannier Pulido, De Moraes and Mescher Laboratories

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