Carpenter bee thorax vibration and force generation inform pollen release mechanisms during floral buzzing.

ABSTRACT: Approximately 10% of flowering plant species conceal their pollen within tube-like poricidal anthers. Bees extract pollen from poricidal anthers via floral buzzing, a behavior during which they apply cyclic forces by biting the anther and rapidly contracting their flight muscles. The success of pollen extraction during floral buzzing relies on the direction and magnitude of the forces applied by the bees, yet these forces and forcing directions have not been previously quantified. In this work, we developed an experiment to simultaneously measure the directional forces and thorax kinematics produced by carpenter bees (Xylocopa californica) during defensive buzzing, a behavior regulated by similar physiological mechanisms as floral buzzing. We found that the buzzing frequencies averaged abo

SUBMITTER: Jankauski M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9355986 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature