"Technology" research has found that pollinators were proficient in camouflage more than 100 million years ago and brought their own "antennas" to communicate remotely

Nanjing, September 18 (Xinhua) -- Reporter Qiu Bingqing learned from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the 18th that the "Research Team on the Origin and Early Evolution of Modern Terrestrial Ecosystems" of the Institute cooperated with relevant teams from China Agricultural University and Linyi University to analyze 27 lily specimens. The results show that more than 100 million years ago, pollinator insects have become proficient in camouflage and have their own "antenna" to communicate remotely. Insect pollination promotes plant reproduction and differentiation. It was one of the pollinator "red maidens" of gymnosperms more than 100 million years ago. The lily sticks its mouthparts into the plant's flower tubes to feed on the pollen, and the pollen is "given" to the next plant at the next feeding. The red sandflies discovered by the research team this time come from biota such as Burmese amber in the middle of the Cretaceous Period. The study found that the length of the mouthparts of different species of lilyflies was different, and the length of the flower tubes of different plants at that time was matched one by one, indicating that a "pairing" was formed between pollinators and feeding plants more than 100 million years ago. The distinction between the relationship between the scorpion and the feeding plant has promoted the evolution of a unique defense mechanism and long-distance communication ability. Studies have shown that the antennae of burmese males are ctenophoric structures, and males use this antenna-like structure to more easily sense the sex hormones released by females and perform courtship behavior. In addition, the wings have eye-like spots, i.e., eye spots, like its "camouflage suit", which can confuse or scare off predators. "The difference in the antennae of females and males, as well as the presence of eye spots, indicate that they are more adaptable and competitive in Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems." Wang Bo, a researcher at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the study provided evidence for discovering the "pairing" relationship between pollinators and plants more than 100 million years ago. The relevant research results have been published online on the 17th in the British journal Nature newsletter. (End)