About

mutualism

Mutualistic relationships defined under symbiosis are those relationships where both species benefit from the association. The honey bee and the flower represent this kind of relationship. The bee collects nectar from the flower using a long, straw-like proboscis to suck the sweet fluid into a separate sac called a nectar or honey sac for later use in the colony as food. While the bee moves about the flower, pollen collects on its furry legs and body. When the bee leaves the flower to land on the next one, the pollen falls or rubs off onto the next flower, resulting in pollination. The flower helps the bee by giving it nectar, and the bee helps pollinate the flower by moving pollen from flower to flower.