Abstract

Overview

Bees and flowering plants have a significant co-evolutionary history, characterizing a complex relationship vital for pollination. This abstract introduces the concept of aerial electroreception, a novel sensory modality, highlighting its role in the interaction between bees and flowers.

Findings

• Flowers and bees have evolved specialized traits that aid in pollination, leveraging senses like vision, olfaction, humidity sensing, and touch.
• An additional sensory modality has been discovered - the detection of weak electrostatic fields generated between bees and flowers.
• Research leveraging finite-element modelling and experimental evidence sheds light on these electrostatic interactions.
• Key elements that facilitate electrostatic interactions include the atmospheric electric field, the bees' ability to accumulate positive charge, and the plants' tendency to hold a negative charge.

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of electric interactions for pollination and aerial electroreception, underlining the need for further research in this fascinating area to fully understand the mechanisms at play.