An international research team led by the universities of Göttingen and Hohenheim in Germany has gained new insights into how the interaction of birds, bees and bats significantly increases the quantity and quality of macadamia nuts. Furthermore, the effectiveness of their ecosystem services – pollination and biological pest control – depends on the altitude of the area and whether it provides natural habitats. The University of the Free State and the University of Venda in South Africa were also involved in this research. The results were published in Ecological Applications.

The researchers verified that a LFMF promoted the inward absorption of iron ions and inhibited iron ion excretion, resulting in an elevated iron ion concentration within the cell. This, in turn, stimulated carotenoid synthesis by R. mucilaginosa.