What is Pollination? What are pollinators? Why is pollination important?

 

Pollination

Pollination in simple can be defined as the transfer of pollen from the anther to stigma of a flower. Pollination is an important process in the plants life cycle which play a key role in sexual reproduction in plants. Plants can undergo self-pollination or depend on the different agents such as wind, water and animals for transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of another flower (cross pollination).

What are pollinators?

The plant rely on the abiotic (environment) or the biotic (animals and insects) process to accomplish pollination. The biotic process have more advantage over the abiotic processes of pollen transfer. The agents of biotic process of pollination includes bumble bees, bees, moths, butterflies, birds and mammals. It is effective process because the animals visit from flower to flower with more chance of the pollen landing on the stigma compare to the abiotic process. The pollination process is based on the interrelationship or interaction, known as ‘proto-cooperation’. Pollinators mostly visit a flower to obtain nectar or pollen for food in return the flower is pollinated. The Bee species helps in pollinating 250000 angiosperm species, which have an advantage against the other agents of pollination (Obute, 2009). The plant and the pollinator share a mutual relationship and also benefit from each other. Plants have develop many traits such as the production of scent, nectar, color and shape which attracts the pollinator and in turn the pollen are being collected by the pollinator in search of food. Recent studies have shown that floral traits such as size, shape, nectar and pigmentation effected the pollinator diversity in the plant species (Zhao, Ren, Lázaro, Wang, Bernhardt et al., 2016).

Why is pollination and pollinator important?

Following are some importance of pollinators and there are many

Ø  United state Department of Agriculture (n.d) stated “our future flies on the wings of pollinator” without the process of pollination and pollinators human race and terrestrial ecosystem seize to exist. 14,000 crops plant, food and plant-based industries requires pollination.

Ø  Pollinators indirectly contributes to clean air through carbon sequestration (how?), by process of pollination, helping in dispersal of wild and domestic plants which use carbon dioxide to produce food.

Ø  Pollinators also have cultural significance to lots people and tribes around the world.

Status of pollinators in Bhutan?

Bhutan a small Himalayan country hold large biodiversity of flora and fauna. An estimated 5603 species of vascular plant species and 55 food crops species (cereal, legumes, vegetables) as per the National biodiversity portal website. Pollinators have significant role in contributing to the flora species in Bhutan. Records on the pollinators such as beetles and bees have been mentioned but no studies have been conducted focusing on the pollination studies. The workshop on pollination held in College of Natural Resources (CNR) has resolved to encourage the studies on pollination and importance of the pollinators. Therefore, pollination studies are yet to find importance in Bhutan.  

References

United state Department of Agriculture. (n.d). Why is pollinator Important? Retrieved from https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/pollinators/importance.shtml

Obute, G.C. (2010). Pollination: a threatened vital biodiversity service to humans and the environment. International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 2(1), 001-013.

Zhao, Y.H., Ren, Z.X., Lazaro, A., Wang, H., Bernhardt, P., Li, D., & Li, D. Z. (2016). Floral traits influence pollen vectors’ choices in higher elevation communities in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains. BMC ecology, 16(1), 1.