Flowers adapted to pollination

Flowers require pollination. Pollination is the process by which pollen grains are transferred from the anther of a stamen to the stigma of a carpel. There are a few flowers that can self-pollinate, but they are limited to inbreeding. Most species rely on some kind of pollination vector to pollinate themselves. The vector can be any agent capable of transporting pollen from the anther to the stigma.

Water and wind have been identified as pollination vectors in certain species, but many species do not rely on the random or downstream-only pollination pathways provided by these vectors. Indeed, such vectors are only useful in situations characterised by large populations of a very limited number of species.

Most flowers that has evolved to use animals are as a “smart bomb” or “magic bullet” vector. These vectors have sensory organs to locate flowers, locomotion to get to the flowers despite large gaps between individuals, and intelligence to remember that they can rely on a reward if they visit a specific species repeatedly.

What is Pollination?

Pollination is the delivery of pollen to a plant’s female organs (stigma in flowers). Pollen is produced by a plant’s male organs (stamens in flowers) and contains genetic information required for plant reproduction. Pollen can be transferred to female organs on the same plant or another plant of the same species (self-pollination) (cross-pollination). Plants produce seeds as a result of pollination. Wind, water, and animal pollinators such as insects, bats, and birds can all disperse pollen.

Pollination by wind

Wind-pollinated plants typically have flowers that appear early in the spring, before or as the plant’s leaves emerge. This prevents the leaves from interfering with the dispersal of pollen from the anthers and allows pollen to be received on the flower stigmas.

Male flowers that are the species such are as oaks, birches, and cottonwood are arranged in long pendant catkins or long upright inflorescences in which the flowers are small, green, and grouped together, producing a large amount of pollen. Wind-pollinated plant pollen is light, smooth, and small.

Wind pollinates the majority of conifers and about 12% of the world’s flowering plants. The Wind pollinated plants are the include grasses and their cultivated relatives, cereal crops, many trees, and the infamous allergenic ragweeds, among others. All of them release billions of pollen grains into the air in the hopes that a select few will hit their targets.

Pollination by insects

1. Bees

Bees are the primary pollinators of many garden plants and commercial fruit trees. The Bumblebees and the honeybees that are the most common bee species. Because bees cannot see red, bee-pollinated flowers are usually blue, yellow, or other colours. 

For their survival and energy needs, bees collect energy-rich pollen or nectar. They prefer flowers that are open during the day, are brightly coloured, have a strong aroma or scent, and have a tubular shape, with or without the presence of a nectar guide. 

A nectar guide is a region on the flower petals visible only to bees that helps guide bees to the centre of the flower, making pollination more efficient.The pollen adheres to the bees’ fuzzy hair, and some of the pollen is transferred to the second flower when the bee visits another flower. There have been numerous reports recently about the declining population of honeybees. Many flowers will go unpollinated, unable to produce seeds if honey bees disappear. The consequences for commercial fruit growers could be disastrous.

2. Flies

Many flies are drawn to flowers with a decaying odour or the odour of rotting flesh. These nectar-producing flowers are typically dull in colour, such as brown or purple. They can be found on corpse flower (Amorphophallus), dragon arum (Dracunculus), and carrion flowers (Stapleia, Rafflesia). The nectar gives energy and the while the pollen gives are the protein. Wasps are also important insect pollinators, pollinating a wide range of fig species.

Pollination by water

Aquatic plants are those that are pollinated by water. Pollen floats on the surface of the water, drifting until it comes into contact with flowers. This is known as surface hydrophily, and it is relatively uncommon (only 2 percent of pollination is hydrophily). Water Weeds and pondweeds use water to pollinate each other. Pollen travels underwater in only a few cases. Most aquatic plants are pollinated by insects, and their flowers emerge from the water into the air.

Conclusion 

Pollination is the process by which pollen grains are transferred from the anther of a stamen to the stigma of a carpel. Pollination is the delivery of pollen to a plant’s female organs. This prevents the leaves from interfering with the dispersal of pollen from the anthers and allows pollen to be received on the flower stigmas. Male flowers that are the species such as oaks, birches, and cottonwood are arranged in long pendant catkins or long upright inflorescences in which the flowers are small, green, and grouped together, producing a large amount of pollen. Bees are the primary pollinators of many garden plants and the commercial fruit trees. Many flies are drawn to flowers with a decaying odour or the odour of rotting flesh. The nectar gives energy and the while the pollen gives are the protein.