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June 17 – 23, 2013 is National Pollinator Week - - A week to celebrate the pollinating animals that sustain our ecosystems and put many foods and beverages on our table.
Pollinators are animals which transport pollen from one plant to another aiding in the plant’s reproduction – creating seeds and fruits. Approximately 75 percent of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators for fertilization. Not only is this vital to a healthy ecosystem, but also to our food supply since almost all fruit and grain crops require pollination for crop production.
Often the term pollinator, brings bees and butterflies to mind, but many other animals are also important to pollination. Possibly as many as 200,000 animal species serve as pollinators. Common pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, beetles, birds, bats and small mammals. Even some reptile species are known to contribute to pollination, particularly on islands.
Many flowers have evolved with specialized characteristics, such as time of bloom, size, shape, color and smell, so that only certain animal species with their own evolved specialized characteristics are able to pollinate the flower. This is called coevolution.
Pollination by Birds
Ornithophily is pollination by birds. Nearly 2,000 bird species worldwide feed on flowering plants and trees, contributing to pollination. Hummingbirds, honeycreepers and sunbirds are some of the most recognized nectar feeding birds. These birds have specialized beaks and tongues allowing them to probe deep within the flower for nectar and insects. The red-headed honeyeater (Myzomela erythrocephala) is the major pollinator of the rib-fruited mangrove tree in Australia.
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Many flowers pollinated by birds are brightly colored, tubular shaped and have no odor because birds have a poor sense of smell.
Pollination by Bats
Chiropterophily is pollination by bats. Bats feed on insects on flowers as well as the nectar and flower parts. Fruit bats are frugivores, feeding on fruit, but many also feed on the flowers prior to fruiting and are important pollinators of fruit trees. Over 300 species of fruit depend on bats for pollination including mangoes, bananas and guavas. The agave plant, used to make tequila, is also dependent on bats for pollination.
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Old World fruit bat (Pteropodidae)
The flowers often visited by bats are white or pale nocturnal flowers that are large and bell shaped. Many of these flowers have large amounts of nectar, and emit a musky smell that attracts bats.
Pollination by Non-flying Mammals
Many species of mammals, particularly rodents, marsupials and primates feed on the nectar of plants. Other small mammals often inadvertently transport pollen from one plant to another simply through foraging or nesting in close proximity to flowering plants. Certain species of trees and plants have become dependent on mammals for pollination. The endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) endemic to Madagascar, pollinates the Traveler’s palm by feeding on its nectar and is essential in ensuring this tree’s future generations.
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The honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus)is entirely nectarivorous, feeding only on nectar. It has a long pointy snout and specialized tongue, similar to a hummingbird, that collects nectar and pollen deep within the flower. The honey possum is an important pollinator of Banksia and Eucalyptus flowers.
The flowers pollinated by mammals are typically dull in color, are rich in sugary nectar and have a pungent odor. Flowers pollinated by rodents are often low to the ground and inconspicuous.
Pollination by Insects
Entomophily is pollination by insects - the largest and most diverse group of pollinators. Primary pollinating insects are bees, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps and beetles. Many species have evolved to pollinate a specific species of plant and are specialized pollinators, while others visit a wide variety of flowering plants and are generalist pollinators.
A few rather surprising pollinating insects include:
Forcipomyia flies pollinate cocoa trees. Our beloved chocolate would not be possible without the help of these very tiny midge flies. The small, complex flower of the cocoa tree requires the abilities of this tiny fly to work its way through the flower in order to pollinate it. Forcipomyia flies are also responsible for pollinating avocados, mangoes and celery. Pollination by flies that feed on nectar and pollen as adults is myophily.
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Cocoa flower (Theobroma cacao)
Hawk moths have specialized long tongues like hummingbirds to take nectar from flowers, but unlike birds, many are nocturnal and pollinate flowers that only open at night, such as Datura, Four O’clocks and night blooming cacti. Orchids are also frequently pollinated by hawk moths. Phalaenophily is pollination by moths. Many flowers visited by moths are highly fragrant which helps the moths to find the flowers from great distances.
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White-lined Sphinx Moth (Hyles lineata)
The tiny fig wasp is the sole pollinator of fig trees and in turn, the fig wasp can breed nowhere else but inside figs - a strong example of obligate symbiosis – without each other neither would exist. This relationship is so specialized that each species of fig tree has its own species of fig wasp.
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Beetles are the earliest known pollinators and are still among the top pollinating insects. In fact they are responsible for pollinating a large percentage of the 240,000 flowering plants globally. Beetles are known for pollinating primitive flowers such as waterlilies, magnolias and spicebush. Cantharophily is pollination by beetles. Beetles typically visit large, white or greenish, dull colored flowers with a strong spicy or fruity odor.
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Beetle (Ochresthes sigmoideus)
Bees – Our Pollinating Super Heroes
It goes without saying that a large majority of pollination would not be complete without bees.Melittophily is pollination by bees. There are approximately 20,000 known species of bees, 4,000 species alone in the U.S., and these bees are the major pollinators in most ecosystems with flowering plants. Bees are adapted for collecting and feeding on nectar and pollen. Most bees are covered with setae or finely branched hairs that have an electrostatic charge which is literally a pollen magnet. Types of bees are quite diverse in size, color, foraging behavior and social behavior. Some are oligoleges, pollen specialists, and will only visit plants within a certain family, genera or species. The squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa) is a specialty pollinator of Cucurbits which include cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and watermelons.
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Bees that specifically collect pollen are considered to be the most efficient of all pollinators. These pollen collecting bees have a thick mass of long hairs called the scopa which is located on the hind tibia (sometimes onto the femur) or on the ventral surface of the abdomen. Honey bees and bumble bees have highly specialized scopa that are called corbicula or commonly, pollen baskets. These ‘baskets’ are cavities where the pollen is placed before being carried back to the nest or hive. Some bees pollinate flowers simply by grabbing onto the flower and vibrating their wings which knocks the pollen from the anthers onto the stigma. This is called buzz pollination and is very efficient for certain plants such as tomatoes, potatoes and blueberries.
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Leaf-cutting bee (Megachile mendica)
Pollinator decline due to habitat loss, pesticides and disease has become a growing concern in recent years. Continued declines in pollinator activity could result in the loss off pollinator dependent fruits, vegetables & grains and the disruption of entire ecological systems.
There are many small steps that we all can take that will have a positive impact on the future of our pollinators:
- Reading this blog post… Congratulations! You have already made a positive impact. Learning about and understanding the vital need for pollinators is an important step towards their conservation.
- Growing native flowering plants in the garden and/or landscape will help provide habitat for native bees, butterflies and other important pollinators.
- Eliminating and/or taking responsible measures to reduce pesticide use. This is not only essential to the health of pollinators, but to other beneficial insects and wildlife, our water and air quality and ourselves.
- Buying and supporting non-GMO crops. While the health risks of consuming GMO crops are still controversial, there is strong scientific research that shows these monocultures created by GMO crops are destructive to native flowering plants that provide essential habitat to pollinators, beneficial insects and other native wildlife.
National Pollinator Week is an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles and other pollinating animals.
For more information on National Pollinator Week visit: Pollinator Partnership
Kim Phillips aka Small Wonders