Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Natural Phenomena

Pollination

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The transfer of pollen from a flower's male structures to a female structure, either on the same plant or another, allowing fertilization and seed production. Most flowering plant species rely on an animal to carry pollen rather than wind alone, and the plant's flower shape, scent and reward are typically adapted to the specific pollinator it depends on most. The honey bee is the world's most economically significant managed pollinator, visiting a single flower type repeatedly on one foraging trip and, in doing so, moving pollen efficiently between flowers of the same species, a behavior called flower constancy; butterflies including the monarch also carry pollen between flowers as they feed on nectar, though less efficiently than bees because their smoother bodies collect less pollen.

Facts
Periodicity
Seasonal, tied to a plant's flowering period, though tropical species may flower and be pollinated year round. 1
Scale
Organismal, one flower visit at a time, but its cumulative effect underwrites the reproduction of most flowering plant species and a large share of global food crops. 1
First Described
A 1793 study by Christian Konrad Sprengel first argued systematically that flowers are shaped to attract and reward animal pollinators rather than existing for their own sake, though the work was largely ignored until Charles Darwin drew attention to it decades later. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Demonstrated By

Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife FundDemonstrated By: FynbosView the Source
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