Flowers respond to pollinator sound by increasing nectar concentration

False oil beetle, Oedemera nobilis (female), ©Ian Saunders Feeding on spearwort, garden pond, Stoke Goldington 10 June 2018

Can plants hear? That is, can they sense airborne sounds and respond to them? Here we show that Oenothera drummondii flowers, exposed to the playback sound of a flying bee or to synthetic sound-signals at similar frequencies, produced sweeter nectar within 3 minutes, potentially increasing the chances of cross pollination. We found that the flowers vibrated mechanically inresponse to these sounds, suggesting a plausible mechanism where the flower serves as the plant’sauditory sensory organ…