Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Kiara Smith
Project 1
As a high school graduation gift, a friend of mine offered me a corner of her garden in
Warrior’s Mark, PA, to plant whatever I’d like. In part, this was an opportunity for me to get out
of the house over summer break, but it also meant I could finally do something for the bees I
talked incessantly about. Naturally, we planted a selection of vegetables, including tomatoes, but
I was most excited for the sunflowers (Helianthus annuus). I knew they were a boon to local
pollinators, including bumblebees, and while we gardened every week I watched them grow
taller and taller. Then, when the blooms finally opened, the bees practically swarmed the
flowers––around noon on a warm day at the end of August, I counted eight bees of at least three
species, including bumblebees (Bombus), honey bees (Apis mellifera), and carpenter bees
(Xylocopa) on one flower head. Later, I observed the flower changing while the bees crawled
over them; it appeared as though they were opening the inside petals or flowers or something
inside the disc of the flower. I found this intriguing, especially upon realising I had no idea how
sunflowers worked; I knew the inside disc would eventually become sunflower seeds, but how
As it turns out, a sunflower’s most recognisable petals are nothing but sterile ray flowers,
growing around the disc to attract pollinators. They unfold around the flower during blooming
season and then fall off while the seeds mature. The real action is in the sunflower’s dark inner
disc, which consists of hundreds of tiny flowers clustered together, with both male and female
parts. These flowers will produce seeds after pollination (MacKenzie). Similarly to the ray
Smith 2
florets, the inner flowers begin flowering at one side of the head and open in rows at about 4
rows a day, depending on flower stress, influenced primarily by temperature, but also water
supply, sunlight and more. They open early in the morning, releasing 5 anthers to form a tube;
later in the same day pollen and the flower’s stigma extend, while the tube itself retreats. The
exposed stigma must attract a pollinator or self pollinate within 2 days, or else it withers and the
seed will remains useless. Here access to water is critical, as without it the anthers and stigma
would be unable to extend properly. After pollination is a stage of maturation, during which the
seeds complete their own growing process (Connor). So while I was correct in noticing the
gradual opening of the disc flowers, it was the flower itself opening and releasing its stigmas––
The usefulness of bees for sunflower seed yield has been heavily researched. Many
sunflowers can self pollinate, as pollen is spread by wind between florets in a single disc.
However, insect pollination is still more beneficial to sunflowers, especially in times of stress.
There are two primary theories working together to explain this. First, bees could increase self
pollination rate, spreading it while crawling between florets on a single disc. Secondly, bees
could also transfer pollen between rows, promoting greater genetic diversity; one study found
bees carrying pollen from over six rows away from the flower it was on. Nevertheless, the bees’
merits differ between type of sunflower, as some are more compatible to self pollination. Bees
can also expedite the pollination process. As mentioned previously, flowers naturally lose florets
in times of high stress (such as low humidity, high temperatures, etc) and must be pollinated
within two days of opening; bees may offset this loss by pollinating the florets quickly enough
the stigmas don’t wither away before pollination (DeGrandi-Hoffman and Chambers).
Sunflowers also perform better in lower temperatures because it preserves water supply and
Smith 3
encourages them to produce nectar, attracting more bees (Ribbands). To this end, it’s possible
bumblebees are even better than honey bees at pollinating sunflowers, as they perform better in
cooler temperatures, rainier climates, and with less sunlight (Mahmut Murat Aslan and Cicek
Yavuksuz).
Overall, sunflowers can complete their own complicated life cycle without bees, or at
least, some species can; however, bees still benefit sunflowers by increasing genetic diversity,
increasing overall seed yield, and overcoming times of limited resources for the sunflowers. The
bees benefit from the abundance of pollen and nectar the massive flower heads produce. So
while my beginning hypothesis was wrong, I did learn about the sunflower life cycle, why they
attract so many pollinators, and how exactly they make those tasty seeds.
Smith 4
Works Cited
Aslan, Mahmut M. and Cicek Yavuksuz. “Effect of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L.) and
Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris L.) Pollinators on Yield and Yield Factors in Sunflower
(Helianthus annuus L.) Production Areas.” Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances,
Connor, David J, and Anthony J. Hall. “Sunflower Physiology.” Sunflower Technology and
doi:10.2134/agronmonogr35.c4
Degrandi-Hoffman, Gloria and Mona Chambers. “Effects of Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/flowers/sunflowers/
Ribbands C.R. “Part II Individual Behaviour in the Field.” The Behaviour And Social Life Of