The buzzing of the bees initiates the release of scents in the flowers

A tiny electric charge placed on bees may cause flowers to emit scents, according to recent British research. It seems that certain plants take advantage of this mechanism in order to signal their presence to the insects in their environment in order to increase their chances of being pollinated * It turns out that the plants are not a passive partner in the interactions with the insects

[Translation by Dr. Moshe Nachmani]

The bumblebees that visit the petunia flowers were found to initiate the release of the chemical benzaldehyde. Volatile emissions were also released when Clara Montgomery, who led the research at the University of Bristol, touched the plants with an electrically charged nylon ball, but not when she used a grounded (uncharged) metal rod. Bee tentacles also appeared to respond to benzaldehyde at these emission concentrations.

Bumblebees produce a tiny positive charge of 120 picocoulombs while flying through the air. It is likely that this charge helps them collect pollen, which are substances that tend to be negatively charged. Bees have tentacles and hairs that can sense weak electric fields near flowers, and this mechanism helps them determine if the flower has already come into contact with another pollinator. The new research suggests that plants also respond to this electrostatic information. 

Typically, at least 600 to 700 picocols were required to initiate the release of volatiles from the petunias used for the experiments. "We believe that the electric charge carried on top of the bees contributes or actually causes an increase in the emission of the volatile substances, but several bees may be required for this," said the lead researcher. She estimates that five to six visits to the individual flower may be required for this.

Benzaldehyde is a simple aromatic aldehyde with an almond-like odor and is the main component of petunia scent. Another type of flower used in the experiments, snapdragon, did not show any measurable increase in the volatiles following exposure to an electrical charge. "We already knew in the past that bees carry an electric charge and that the electric fields created by them may encourage the transfer of pollen between the bees and the flowers," said one of the researchers. "We wanted to examine whether the charge itself could affect the interaction between the flower and the pollinating insect in other ways."

One of the researchers in the field says that: "Flowers cannot invest infinite energy on "public relations" in order to attract pollinating creatures, so it is interesting to discover that they may indeed be affected by this weak electric field when the pollinator is close to the flower itself." She adds and says that: "We must pay more attention to the phenomena that occur during the pollinator's visit to the flower." A better understanding of plant-pollinator communication may even provide improvements in pollination, she adds. Our reliance on bees for pollination means that it is really essential that we understand the interactions between plants and pollinators in all their subtleties, says the lead researcher. Many factors affect the load carried by the bee, such as the weather, the pollution caused by vehicles and the power lines in the area. "It is important that we understand the details of the communication between the plants and their pollinators and that we do not disrupt these interactions, the lead researcher concludes.

"The idea that flowers are not just passive participants in the market economy of pollination systems is a fascinating idea: that plants can produce signals and provide rewards for the production behavior that pollinates them, and invest their energy in signals and rewards," comments one of the researchers. "We must investigate this phenomenon in more plant varieties and see if it is a widespread and widespread phenomenon, and investigate further as to the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon."

The scientific article