Index: > A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Home > Pollinator

A pollinator is the agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain. Though the terms are sometimes confused, a pollinator is different from a pollenizer, which is a plant that is a source of pollen for the pollination process.

The most recognized pollinators are the various species of bees, which are plainly adapted to pollination. Bees are fuzzy and carry an electrostatic charge. Both features help pollen grains adhere to their bodies. Bees often also have a pollen carrying structure such as the corbicula of honeybees and bumblebees (also known as the pollen basket ), or the scopa of the lower abdomen of megachilid bees, made up of thick bristles. Bees gather pollen, which is high protein food, to nurture their young, and inadvertantly transfer some among the flowers as they are working.

Lepidoptera ( butterflies and moths) also pollinate. Because they are so long tongued and delicate, they are not major pollinators of our food crops, but are important for some wildflowers.

Many other insects accomplish some pollination. WaspA wasp is any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is not a bee, sawfly, or an ant. Less familiar, the suborder Symphyta includes the sawflies and wood wasps, which differ from the Apocrita by having a broad connection between the ths, bombyliid fliesBombyliidae Scientific classification : Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Diptera : Brachycera : Muscomorpha : Asiloidea Bombyliidae Subfamilies Many Subfamilies The Bombyliids are a large family of flies with hundreds of genera, but their life cycles are and syrphid flies are important pollinators. BeetleAdephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga many subgroups see Subgroups of the order Coleoptera For alternate meanings see: Beetle (disambiguation Beetles (order Coleoptera are one of the main groups of insects. The order has more species in it than any ots, and even thripThrips : Animalia : Arthropoda : Insecta : Pterygota Infraclass: Neoptera : Hemipterodea : Thysanoptera Families Suborder Terebrantia Merothripidae Uzelothripidae Aeolothripidae Adeheterothripidae Heterothripidae Thripidae Fauriellidae Suborder Tubuliferas or antFormicomorph subfamilies Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae e. Formica Myrmeciomorph subfamilies Myrmeciinae eg. Myrmecia Pseudomyrmecinae Dorylomorph subfamilies Cerapachyinae Ecitoninae Leptanilloidinae Aenictinae Dorylinae Aenictogitoninae Leptanills can sometimes pollinate self fertile flowers. Blue bottle or carrion flies are important for some flowers, usually ones that exude a fetid odor.

Bats are important pollinators of some tropical flowers. Birds, particularly hummingbirdFor the Australian jangle pop band, see The Hummingbirds. Many, see text. Hummingbirds (family Trochilidae are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings (15 to 80 beats per second, depending on the size of the birs also accomplish much pollination, especially of deep throated flowers. One can often guess what are the primary pollinators of a particular blossom by its characteristics, the size, the depth of the corolla, the color (including patterns called nectar guides that are visible only in ultraviolet light), the scent, etc. Flowers have even been known to "trick" a pollinator, for example by emitting a sex pheromone for a bee or moth that entices the male to try to mate with the flower, thus accomplishing pollination.

Even humans can be pollinators, as many gardeners have discovered that they must hand pollinate garden vegetables, because of pollinator decline. This can involve using a small brush or cotton swab to move pollen, or to simply tap or shake tomato blossoms to release the pollen for the self pollenizing . Tomato blossom are self fertile, but have the pollen inside the anther, and the flower requires shaking to release the pollen through pores. This can be done by wind, by humans, or by a sonicating bee (one that vibrates its wing muscles while perched on the flower), such as a bumblebee. Sonicating bees are extremely efficient pollinators of tomatoes, and colonies of bumblebees are quickly replacing humans with vibrators as the primary pollinators for greenhouse tomatoes.

Many kinds of pollinators, from blue bottle flies, to bumblebees, and leaf cutter bees are cultured and sold for managed pollination. Millions of hives of honeybees are also contracted out as pollinators by beekeepers.

Botany Symbiosis

Politics	Business	Finance

Topics: Pollinator Pollen Pollinators Bees Pollination Flowers Flower...

PollinatorA pollinator is the agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain. Though the term

Pollinator declinePollinator decline is based on observations made at the end of the twentieth century of the reduction in abundance of pollinators in many ecosystems worldwide. Pollinators participate in sexual reproduction of many plants, by ensuring cross- pollination,

Non User