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By Adriaan van Sluis
Why is pollination important?
Why is pollination important?
Almost all of the world's seeds and plants need to be pollinated in order to be able to reproduce as well as produce sufficient seeds for dispersal and propagation (reproduction by natural processes), maintain genetic diversity and develop enough fruits to attract seed dispensers. Therefore, pollination is important as it is crucial for a strong and healthy ecosystem.
One of the ways plants may produce offspring is by creating seeds which can only be produced when pollen is transferred between flowers of the same species. Therefore, without the occurrence of pollination many plant or flower species would be unable to reproduce and those species would eventually go extinct.
What is pollination?
What is pollination?
Essentially pollination is the act of transferring grain of pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma so that plant reproduction may take place. This happens when the pollen from the anther rubs or drops onto a pollinator which then takes the pollen to another plant, of the same species, where the pollen sticks to the stigma. Pollination is often the unintentional cause of an animal, or other factors such as water and wind, on a flower.
How can you help pollinators?
Pollinator populations are at risk due to decades of stressors such as loss of pollinator habitats, improper use of pesticides and diseases and predation and parasites. You can help protect pollinators by creating a pollinator-friendly habitat which can be achieved through the addition of diverse native plants that thrive under the conditions in your region and which have evolved with local pollinators into your gardens.
You should always try to avoid or limit your use of pesticides to protect the pollinators in your gardens. Many insect pollinators are sensitive to temperature variations so replacing surfaces such as pavement and asphalt which attract heat with gravel or plants helps to reduce temperature stressors on pollinators. This also has added benefits for water quality because they purify water.
Did you know?
The reason some bees buzz is because plants like tomatoes and blueberries release their pollen through two tiny pores in each anther. Bees bite the anthers, hold tight and buzz to shake the pollen out of the flower.
Bibliography:
Cane, J. (no date) What is pollination?, US Forest Service. Available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/wildflowers/pollinators/what-is-pollination (Accessed: 11 March 2024).
How you can help pollinators: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (no date) FWS.gov. Available at: https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/how-you-can-help (Accessed: 11 March 2024).
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