Male and female flowers advertise different "rewards" by giving off different scents, scientists have said.
Mated female epicephala moths prefer the smell of male flowers, suggesting male flower scent triggers pollen collecting behaviour.
The female moths then transfer the pollen from male flowers to the female flowers in which they lay their eggs.
The team analysed the scent from both male and female flowers and found major differences in their chemical make-up.
According to the researchers, this is the first example where male and female floral scent is used to signal the alternative rewards provided by each sex of flower to their pollinators.
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