Randy, you are right.  Of course sugars and starches are originally products of photosynthesis and "carbon fixation".    The initial product of photosynthesis that we classically teach about is glucose, but it takes respiration (or else a diversion of energy from the photosynthetic reactions) to convert that glucose into other sugars like fructose, sucrose, and ultimately, starches (the form most plants store sugar as).  I think what was meant in that paper I originally cited is that the sugar in nectar has to be transported to the flower, which does not itself engage in photosynthesis (no chlorophyll in most flowers).  That would use energy and the ATP for cellular transport comes from respiration.


Karen, that table of plants and their sugar contents (max-min-average) is great.  According to that, white clover's minimum sugar level (in nectar) is still pretty high relative to several others on the list.  And so I am even more puzzled as to why bees don't work it some years.  Perhaps the original measurements didn't take into account some variables that would affect nectar levels?  I would be interested to find out how/when/where they did those measurements.


Christina


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