Electrostatic detection and electric signalling in plants: do flowers act as antennas?
F A Woodburn,
L J O’Reilly,
L Bentall
et al.
Abstract:Flying insect pollinators are electrically charged. As bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) and honeybees (Apis mellifera) are almost always positively charged, they present a static electric field that is modulated by the harmonic motion of their wings. Previous research has demonstrated that as a bee approaches a flower, there is a change in the stem potential of the plant, even before the bee lands, suggesting a capacity for flowers to sense the approaching bee through its electric field. Using a combination of l… Show more
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