Why do some flowers stop producing scent after they are pollinated?

Why do some flowers stop producing scent after they are pollinated?

• A. To conserve energy
• B. To attract predators of pollinators
• C. To lead pollinators to flowers that haven't been pollinated yet
• D. To promote seed dispersal

Answer: (C)

Floral scents are signals that pollinators use to find flowers. After a flower has been pollinated, its job—getting pollen to and from other flowers—has already been accomplished. Reducing scent then helps prevent wasting pollinator visits on a flower that can’t contribute more pollen. By dialing back the attractant, the plant nudges pollinators to move on to other flowers that still need pollination, boosting the chances that the overall population gets fertilized. While conserving energy is a reasonable side effect, the most direct reason this change is advantageous is guiding pollinators to nearby flowers that haven’t been pollinated yet. The other ideas don’t fit as well: attracting predators of pollinators would hurt pollination, and promoting seed dispersal isn’t the immediate purpose of scent changes after pollination.

Floral scents are signals that pollinators use to find flowers. After a flower has been pollinated, its job—getting pollen to and from other flowers—has already been accomplished. Reducing scent then helps prevent wasting pollinator visits on a flower that can’t contribute more pollen. By dialing back the attractant, the plant nudges pollinators to move on to other flowers that still need pollination, boosting the chances that the overall population gets fertilized. While conserving energy is a reasonable side effect, the most direct reason this change is advantageous is guiding pollinators to nearby flowers that haven’t been pollinated yet. The other ideas don’t fit as well: attracting predators of pollinators would hurt pollination, and promoting seed dispersal isn’t the immediate purpose of scent changes after pollination.