EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Mutualism Between Flowers and Honeybees

February 28, 2023

Menashe_mutualismepod_Picture1

Menashe_mutualismepod_Picture2

Photographer: Menashe Davidson

Summary Author: Menashe Davidson

In mutualistic interactions, both species benefit. Ecologists
believe that almost every species on Earth is involved directly or
indirectly in one or more of these interactions. They’re crucial to the
reproduction and survival of many plants and animals.

While walking on a sunny day mid-winter’s day a few weeks back, in the
Iris Argaman Nature Reserve, in Israel, I was fascinated to follow
the mutualism between wildflowers and honeybees. The flower serves as
an “advertisement” and usually offers the pollinator an incentive to
visit. The pollinators of course get nectar and pollen from the
flower, and the flower gets a carrier for its pollen grains.

In general, bees are most attracted to flowers that are open and easy
to access. The top photo shows a honeybee collecting nectar from the
bottom of the yellow flower of Oxalis. The bottom photo shows an
Anemone coronaria, a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean
region. In this case the central mound consists of tightly packed
pistils in the center, with a crown-like ring of stamens,
offering easy access to the visiting pollinators. Click here to see
a video of the Iris Argaman Nature Reserve. Photos taken on January 15,
2023.


Argaman Nature Reserve, Israel Coordinates: 32.28169, 34.84123


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Plant Links

* Discover Life
* Tree Encyclopedia
* What are Phytoplankton?
* Encyclopedia of Life - What is a Plant?
* USDA Plants Database
* University of Texas Native Plant Database
* Plants in Motion
* What Tree is It?

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Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

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