“Bite Me Here!” Multidisciplinary Research Unlocks Resonance Secret of Buzz Pollination Interactions (IMAGE)
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Figure 1 Bumblebees use vibration to forage pollen on beaked and “nosey” Pedicularis. They always bite at the base of the flower’s beak and then buzz it. The pollen released from the beak’s terminus is deposited on the bee’s abdomen. The point at which they bite produces the strongest floral vibration, discharging the most pollen from the tip of the elephant’s nose. When different lousewort species bloom together, a bumblebee will choose the flower with a beak length suitable to the length of its own winged body, resulting in a size-dependent mutualism.
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