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Pollination is necessary for plants to continue their populations and 3/4 of the plant species that contribute to the world's food supply are plants that require pollinators. [78] Insect pollinators, like bees, are large contributors to crop production, over 200 billion dollars worth of crop species are pollinated by these insects. [71]
Plants fall into pollination syndromes that reflect the type of pollinator being attracted. These are characteristics such as: overall flower size, the depth and width of the corolla, the color (including patterns called nectar guides that are visible only in ultraviolet light), the scent, amount of nectar, composition of nectar, etc. [2] For example, birds visit red flowers with long, narrow ...
Trees that are cross-pollinated or pollinated via an insect pollinator produce more fruit than trees with flowers that just self-pollinate. [1] In fruit trees, bees are an essential part of the pollination process for the formation of fruit. [2] Pollination of fruit trees around the world has been highly studied for hundreds of years. [1] Much ...
Entomophily or insect pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen of plants, especially but not only of flowering plants, is distributed by insects. Flowers pollinated by insects typically advertise themselves with bright colours, sometimes with conspicuous patterns (honey guides) leading to rewards of pollen and nectar ; they may also ...
Pollination and seed dispersal is known to be mostly caused by animals; and insects are responsible for about 85% of pollination in angiosperms. [53] Ants are known to cause dispersion of the seeds of more than 100 species of plants found in Brazilian Caatinga. [54]
Nonetheless, an estimated 87.5% of the world's flowering plant species are animal-pollinated, [36] and 60% of crop plant species [37] use animal pollinators. This includes the majority of fruits, many vegetables, and also fodder. [38] According to the USDA 80% of insect crop pollination in the US is due to honey bees. [39]
The earliest animal-pollinated flowers were shallow, cup-shaped blooms pollinated by insects such as beetles, so the syndrome of insect pollination was well established before the first appearance of bees. The novelty is that bees are specialized as pollination agents, with behavioral and physical modifications that specifically enhance ...
Pollination of flowering plants by insects including bees, butterflies, flies, and beetles, is economically important. [162] The value of insect pollination of crops and fruit trees was estimated in 2021 to be about $34 billion in the US alone. [163] Insects produce useful substances such as honey, [164] wax, [165] [166] lacquer [167] and silk ...