A Unique Scent for Pollination
A type of Japanese dogsbane, Vincetoxicum nakaianum, has a scent identical to the distress signal of wounded ants, attracting scavenging flies that pollinate it.
Botanist Ko Mochizuki of the University of Tokyo discovered this unique trait after noticing clouds of grass flies around the plant's flowers.
The plant's odor is a near-perfect chemical match to the distress signals released by injured ants.
Experiments revealed that this scent tricks the flies into visiting and inadvertently pollinating the blooms.
The University of Tokyo reports on the discovery in the latest scientific findings.
Author's summary: Flies pollinate a Japanese flower due to its ant-like scent.
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