Oligolectic bees and host-plants frequently depend on each other to rear offspring and to set fruit, respectively. Milet-Pinheiro and Schlindwein (pp. 17–27) investigate the close relationship between the bee Ceblurgus longipalpis and the distylic shrub Cordia leucocephala and find a one-to-one reproductive inter-dependence between them, suggesting this is a rare case of monolecty. Ceblurgus longipalpis has evolved prolonged mouthparts that enable access to pollen and nectar that are hidden to bees of other species.
How plants know when they are too close to each other
Sorghum plants can sense nearby plants through chemicals in the soil water, and this makes them slow their growth, which helps explain why planting crops close together doesn’t always increase yields.
