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The birds and the bees have been around for a long time, behaving differently and pollinating different types of plants. In the article Unsolved Mystery, Miguel Rodriguez-Girones and Luis Santamaria attempt to draw parallels between the function of different plants, as well as their associations with specific pollinators. Scientists have always wondered why bird flowers happen to be red, which ties into both evolution and its related effectors biology and the environment. It is strange that red flowers are pollinated only by birds, especially when compared to the multitude of colors possible in a plants phenotype, as well as the large number of possible pollinators, such as bees and insects.

Due to the already observed knowledge that bird-pollinated flowers are so often all one color, scientists have established that bird pollinated flowers genetics is determined by the environment, in specific the pollinator. The concepts of interrelatedness among species and the variability among heritable phenotypes relate to evolutionary ecology; more fundamentally to basic truths of biology and genetic diversity.

The study of evolutionary ecology depends greatly on the basics of evolution and natural selection. This article dissects the long-term relationship between plants and animals, specifically the genetic basis behind these organisms relationships. Bird-pollinated flowers have much higher nectar concentrations which appeals to birds, and they advertise their high nectar content to birds and not bees through various methods. Red is the only color that is almost inconspicuous to insects, and as a result appeals to birds instead, who can see the color. This biodiversity and its related impact upon plant evolution (selecting for plants being pollinated by specific pollinators) show how the environment and ecology shape the landscape as well as the genetic composition of it.

On the other hand, bees are known to pollinate blue flowers. Much like the parallel relationship between birds and red flowers, bees and blue flowers have a long time association due to the structures and phenotypes of both organisms. Bees eye sensors pick up on blue much better than red, with few being able to distinguish red’s resonance on the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition, bees are also confused by the relative intensity of red and green, making them see red flowers are nothing more than green foliage. Blue flowers on the other hand are smaller and have less concentrations of nectar. As a result, these flowers appeal more to bees and not birds, who happen to be the best fit pollinators anyway. This explanation for the association between flower coloration and pollinator unlocks the mystery, further developing theories of evolution, evolutionary ecology, and genetics. All of these notions appear as the foundation for all of biology, as well as Darwin’s theories of evolution.

The initial evolution of these phenotypes and structures is also discussed in this essay, leading back to concepts of evolution. Through fitness and the relationship between plant and pollinator, certain plants have been selected for by both environmental changes and the presence of various pollinators. These concepts of fitness and gene expression reflect on the ecological landscape and the evolutionary changes populations of plants undergo through the generations. This historical view of fitness feeds into evolution as well as ecology, cementing the theories discussed in this class.