The Deceptive Daisy's Ingenious Trick to Attract Pollinators.

TL;DR Summary
Researchers have identified three sets of genes involved in building the fake fly on the daisy's petals. The "iron moving" genes add iron to the petal's normally reddish-purple pigments, changing the color to a more fly-like blue-green. The root hair genes make hairs expand on the petal to give texture. And the third set of genes make the fake flies appear in apparently random positions on the petals. The daisy's petals give it an evolutionary advantage, by attracting more male flies to pollinate it.
- Deceptive daisy's ability to create fake flies explained Phys.org
- How daisies make deceptive petals that look like female flies New Scientist
- South African daisy creates fake flies to attract pollinators Earth.com
- Deceptive daisy tricks male flies into pollinating it Cosmos
- Daisy mimics female fly to attract males The Times
- View Full Coverage on Google News
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