Researchers Reveal How Plants Enhance Visual Appeal of Their Nectar

by Chinese Academy of Sciences
May 13, 2025

Floral nectar plays a crucial role in pollination. While most nectar is colorless, a few plants produce colored nectar to attract pollinators. It has been suggested that colored nectar may serve as an honest signal, helping pollinators associate nectar color with the reward of food, thus enhancing pollination efficiency.

Many flowers that produce colored nectar are primarily pollinated by birds. However, creating pigments can incur additional reproductive costs. Furthermore, animals can easily identify flowers that have already been depleted of nectar and may avoid them, potentially reducing the frequency of visits. This raises an important question: how can plants make their nectar more visually conspicuous without indicating if it has already been consumed, thereby attracting more visits?

To explore this issue, a research team from the Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted studies in South China, with their findings published in the journal Ecology.

Keep reading: https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202505/t20250516_1043747.shtml

Read the Ecology paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70099