What do flowers do with nectar?
So I was watching hummingbirds and bees today gathering nectar and began to wonder what would the plant do with the nectar if it was not collected. Can too much nectar be collected and harm the plant? Is it simply a way to attract pollinators?
In: Biology
They produce nectar as an incentive for pollinators
They provide some nutrient (mostly sugar) rich nectar to attract pollinators (mostly insects or birds, but almost never both)
The pollinator eats the nectar from a place where it will rub the pollen on itself. The pollinator then visits another plant, and the pollen rubs off, pollinating the plant.
Any sugar the plant needs to function is simply not made into nectar
Think of it like raising chickens. As long as you get eggs, they can complete their lifecycle. Even if one out of a hundred chickens provides you with a chick, their lineage lives on.
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