Pollination

The Transfer of pollen from the male part of the Plant to the female part of the plant with the help of a pollinator, later allowing fertilisation and therefore the production of seeds, most frequently by an animal or by wind. Medium of pollination are animals like insects, birds, and bats; water; wind; and even plants themselves, the process of pollination often takes place within the same species. Once pollination happens between species it will develop hybrid offspring in nature and in plant breeding work.

Methods of Pollination

Method of pollination can generally be divided into two broad categories, mainly Biotic and abiotic. Biotic pollination is the method which uses living pollinators such as insects in the process. In abiotic pollination, other than living beings like air, water, etc., acts as the pollinators of the plant.

Ways of abiotic pollination:

By wind

Majority of abiotic pollination is anemophily, which is fertilisation by wind. This most likely arises from insect pollination, presumably because of changes in environments and surroundings or the availability of pollinators. This transfer of pollen is highly efficient than old-aged thought; wind pollinated plants have developed to own specific heights, additionally to specific floral, reproductive structure and stigma positions that helps effective spore spreading and transfer.

By water

Pollination by water, hydrophily, uses water to move pollen, generally as whole anthers; these will travel across the surface of the water to hold dry pollen from one flower to a different flower. In aquatic plants, a sealed male flower floats to the surface of the water, and, after reaching the surface, exposes and therefore the fertile anthers project forward. The female flower which is also floating protects it’s stigma from the water whereas its sepals are slightly depressed inside the water, permitting the male flowers to tumble in.

By rain

Very small percentage of plants use rain as a method of pollination. Heavy rain makes it difficult for insect fertilization and damages unprotected flowers, however will itself disperse pollen of appropriately adapted plants. In these plants, excess rain drains permitting the floating pollen to come in contact with stigma. In some orchids ombrophily happens, and rain water splashes cause the reproductive structure cap to be removed, providing the pollen to be exposed. Once exposed, raindrops cause the pollen to be shot upward, once the stipe pulls them back, and so represent the cavity of the stigma.

Ways of Biotic Pollination:

Entomophily

Pollination by insects, usually happens on plants that have got coloured petals and a robust scent to draw in insects like, bees, wasps and infrequently ants (Hymenoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera), and flies (Diptera). 

Zoophily 

Pollination is performed by vertebrates like birds and bats, significantly, hummingbirds, sunbirds, spider hunters, honeyeaters, and fruit bats. Ornithophily or bird pollination is the fertilisation of flowering plants by birds. Chiropterophily or bat fertilisation is the fertilisation of flowering plants by bats. Plants tailored to use crackers or moths as pollinators usually have white petals, robust scent and flower at the hours of darkness, whereas plants that use birds as pollinators tend to supply copious nectar and have red petals.

Types of Pollination

Pollination are of 2 types:

Self- pollination

Self- Pollination means the transfer of pollen from a flower to the stigma of the same flower. This type of pollination is possible only in hermaphrodite or dioecious plants which contains both males and females sexual parts of a same flower

In self-pollination plants, there’s less dependence on the external factors to cause fertilization. These plants rely upon wind or alternative smaller insects that visit the flower often. In self- pollinating flowers, the anthers, and stigma are of almost same lengths to ease the transfer of pollen. Self – pollination will be additional divided into 2 types:

Autogamy– The transfer of pollen from anthers to the stigma of the same flower. Here only a single flower can reproduce itself without any other transfers.

Geitonogamy–The transfer of pollen from anthers to the stigma of the similar flower, but of the same plant. Here two different flowers are involved. 

Cross-Pollination

In this kind of pollination, the pollen is transferred from the anthers of 1 flower to the stigma of another flower. During this process, the 2 flowers are genetically different from one another. Cross-pollination usually depends on other agents to cause the transfer of pollen. The agents of pollination embrace birds, animals, water, wind, and insects. Upon these agents of fertilisation, cross-pollination will be of various types:

Hydrophilous Flowers-These flowers are pollinated through water. The flowers are usually tiny and obscure to alternative agents. These kinds of flowers do not contain too much fragrance or colours in their petals. The pollen of these kinds of flowers generally float in the water.

Anemophilous flowers– These flowers are pollinated by the agency of wind. These flowers, like 

Entomophily flowers – Insects help in pollination of this flower. These flowers are usually appealing to seem at with bright petals and have good fragrance to draw in insect to them. They usually have broad stigmas or anthers to permit the insect to perch on that. Several insect-pollinated flowers additionally secrete nectar that attracts bees, butterflies or alternative similar insects to the flowers. The Pollen grains in these flowers usually contains spines or have extensions that facilitate them to stick to the body of the insects.

Ornithophilous flowers– Birds play a major role in pollinating these flowers. Only a few flowers and birds show this type of pollination. 

Pollinator (Agencies of Pollination)

It is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the feminine stigma of a flower. This helps to motivate fertilization of the ovules within the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.

Insect pollinators like bees, (honey bees, solitary species); pollen wasps (Masarinae); ants; flies together with bee flies, hoverflies, blowflies and mosquitoes; lepidopterans, butterflies and moths; and flower beetles. Vertebrates, primarily bats and birds, however some non-bat mammals (monkeys, lemurs, possums, rodents) and a few lizards pollinate few plants. Among the pollinating birds are hummingbirds, honeyeaters and sunbirds with long beaks; they pollinate various kinds of deep-throated flowers. Humans may do artificial pollination.

Conclusion:

Thus, pollination simply means the transfer of pollen from male part of the plant to the female part of the plant i.e , another to stigma , with the help of different agencies that make pollination possible, pollination can be done in two methods: abiotic and biotic. Abiotic pollination includes transfer of anther to stigma via wind, water or rain, whereas biotic pollination is done by Entomophily or zoophily.