Bees and Flowers

Bees and flowers evolved together.

Bees and flowers have evolved together for millions of years. In their mutual relationship, the bee receives food (nectar or pollen) and the stationary plant gets to disperse its pollen (sperm cells) to other plants of the same species. Because this is much more efficient than wind pollination, over millions of years plants developed flowers with increasingly specialized features to attract visiting bees who, in turn, distribute pollen, optimizing the plant’s reproductive potential. In chorus, bees underwent co-evolutionary adaptations to take advantage of the nutritional benefits offered by flowering plants.