Botany One on Nostr: Nearly one-third of desert plants produce sweet nectar for insects, but the nectar ...

Nearly one-third of desert plants produce sweet nectar for insects, but the nectar isn’t always from inside their flowers. Instead it’s from extrafloral nectaries, specialised glands on flower buds, stem joints, and other plant parts attract protective ants throughout the year. Valdez‑Ojeda and colleagues found that relationships shift dramatically between seasons. One of the striking findings is that cacti, understudied for extrafloral nectaries, play a central role in this relationship.