Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39837481›Full record

ArticleJournal of the Royal Society, Interface2025

Buzz pollination: investigations of pollen expulsion using the discrete element method.

Caelen Boucher-Bergstedt, Mark Jankauski, Erick Johnson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Caelen Boucher-BergstedtDepartment of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.ORCID 0009-0005-5062-5652
Mark JankauskiDepartment of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6305-0564
Erick JohnsonDepartment of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6673-2106

Funding

Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Buzz pollination involves the release of pollen from, primarily, poricidal anthers through vibrations generated by certain bee species. Despite previous experimental and numerical studies, the intricacies of pollen dynamics within vibrating anthers remain elusive due to the challenges in observing these small-scale, opaque systems. This research employs the discrete element method to simulate the pollen expulsion process in vibrating anthers. By exploring various frequencies and displacement amplitudes, a correlation between how aggressively the anther shakes and the initial rate of pollen expulsion is observed under translating oscillations. This study highlights that while increasing both the frequency and displacement of vibration enhances pollen release, the rate of release does not grow linearly with their increase. Our findings also reveal the significant role of pollen-pollen interactions, which account for upwards of one-third of the total collisions. Comparisons between two types of anther exits suggest that pore size and shape also influence expulsion rates. This research provides a foundation for more comprehensive models that can incorporate additional factors such as cohesion, adhesion and Coulomb forces, paving the way for deeper insights into the mechanics of buzz pollination and its variability across different anther types and vibration parameters.

Indexed as

FlowersModels, BiologicalPollenPollinationAnimalsBeesVibrationantherbuzz pollinationdiscrete element methodpollenvibrations

Identifiers

PMID39837481
PMCPMC11750361

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.