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Warm-blooded animals tend to be coloured darker the closer they live to the equator.

Now that same rule has been found to exist in flowers as climate change warms up the planet, changing the pigmentation of plants around the world.

US scientists made the discovery after looking to see how flowers appear from a bee's perspective in the ultraviolet range.

It may look similar to the naked eye but flower bloom (left) shows a larger area of dark pigmentation under UV light (right). The flowers come from the extreme north (top) and south (bottom) of New Zealand

Bees see things very differently to humans. For instance, what appears bright yellow to a person can appear dark or patterned to a bee.

Professor Matthew Koski at the University of Pittsburgh researchers studied the flowers of Argentina anserina.

The plant, which belongs to the rose family, was examined across four lines of latitude - three in the Northern and one in the Southern Hemisphere.

Using ultraviolet imaging, Professor Koski and his colleague, Dr Tia-Lynn Ashman, looked at the 'bull's-eye' centres of the flowers, which look dark to pollinators.

Researchers predict that as Earth receives more UV light at northern and southern climes due to depletion of the ozone layer from fossil fuels, flowers farther from the equator are likely to begin to evolve traits.

They discovered that they were larger the nearer to the equator the flowers grew.

Larger 'bull's-eyes,' Professor Koski explains, are associated with higher levels of ultraviolet light, which is more intense near the equator.

The team believe larger bull's-eyes absorb more ultraviolet light, acting as a protective trait because high ultraviolet light levels are known to damage DNA.

NATURE'S REMARKABLE ABILITY TO COPE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

A species of butterfly named the quino checkerspot has defied expectations of extinction by moving to cooler climes and changing its diet

As the planet warms, animals and plants are learning to adapt to their new environment by either migrating or evolving, new research has revealed.

Many scientists believe the rate of climate change is too rapid for various species to keep up.

But two studies released last year have offered some hope that experts may have underestimated their abilities.

The first study reveals how a species of butterfly named the quino checkerspot has defied expectations of extinction by moving to cooler climes and changing its diet.

Separate research led by Stanford University scientist Steve Palumbi found how some corals can quickly switch on or off certain genes in order to survive in warmer-than-average tidal waters.

The research team discovered corals can adjust their internal functions to tolerate hot water 50 times faster than they would adapt through evolutionary change alone. 

In their study, they confirmed that extreme ultraviolet light reduces the viability of pollen in Argentina anserina.

They predict that as Earth receives more ultraviolet light at extreme northern and southern climes due to depletion of the ozone layer, flowers farther from the equator are likely to begin to evolve traits.

However, this may come at a cost as bigger bull's-eyes obscure the 'sweet centre' of the flower where pollen and nectar rewards are found, making poorer targets for bees.

'Spring is coming earlier, and plants and pollinators are no longer in sync,' Dr Ashman said. 'Increased ultraviolet radiation is causing the same sort of disruption.'

The plant, which is in the rose family, was studied across four lines of latitude - three in the Northern and one in the Southern Hemisphere. In their study, the researchers confirmed that extreme ultraviolet light reduces the viability of pollen in Argentina anserina (pictured)