Thai Farmers Could Boost Crops by Playing Back the Buzz: New Research Reveals Plants "Hear" Pollinators
In a surprising breakthrough, scientists have discovered that plants aren’t just passive bystanders in the pollination process—they actively “listen” for the sounds of their pollinators and respond by producing sweeter, more abundant nectar. The findings, presented at an international acoustics conference this week, mark a dramatic shift in our understanding of plant-animal interactions and could have game-changing applications for agriculture in Thailand and beyond (The Guardian, Phys.org).
The discovery centers on snapdragon flowers and their relationship with a bee species known as Rhodanthidium sticticum, sometimes called the snail-shell bee, a particularly efficient pollinator. Researchers led by a zoologist from the University of Turin found that when these plants “hear” the distinct buzzing frequencies of their favored bee, they ramp up nectar production and boost its sugar content. This response does not occur for all insect or ambient sounds—only the characteristic buzz of the right pollinator triggers the shift. The process seems finely tuned: snapdragons can even alter the expression of genes involved in sugar transport and nectar production, responding within minutes of exposure to the right acoustic cues (EurekAlert).