Pollinators

• Wind

• Water

• Insects

• Birds

• Rodents

• Bats

• Self-pollinating

Pollinators

• World Crop Pollination

–73% Bees - 5% beetles

–19% flies - 4% birds

–6.5 % bats - 5% wasps

–4% butterflies and mothsSource: www.albany.edu/natweb/dispoll.html

Floral Adaptations

• Wind Pollination

– Small or absent perianth

– Color: Green or Brown

– No odor or nectar

– LOTS of pollen (typical allergy source)

– Examples: grass, ragweed, corn, maple, pine

D. Hautau

Northern Red Oak

Floral Adaptations

• Water Pollination

– Flower parts waxy

– No odor or nectar

– Only a little pollen that floats

– Example: Eel grass (Vallisneria americana)

Floral Adaptations

• Bird Pollination

– Flower parts tubular or handing; deep spurs

– Color: Red, yellow, orange

– Faint odor; lots of hidden nectar

– Sticky pollen

– Example: Trumpet vine,

FuschiaD. Hautau

Floral Adaptations

• Bat Pollination

– Flower parts short tubes open at night

– Color: White, cream, dark red

– Musty odor; Tons of nectar and pollen

– Mice and other mammals may also pollinate

Floral Adaptations

• Beetle Pollination

– Flat or bowl shaped flower

– Color: drab brown or white

– Strong fermenty odor

– Lots of pollen (beetle food)

– Examples: Skunk Cabbage

Floral Adaptations

• Fly Pollination

– Sex organs hidden and booby-trapped

– Color: red-brown to green or purple

– Rotting meat odor

– Sticky pollen

– Examples: Carrion flower (Stapelia)

Floral Adaptations

• Butterfly Pollination

– Regular, flat flowers; some with tubes

– Color: red, orange, yellow, blue

– Weak odor but lots of nectar

– Sticky pollen

– Example: Milkweed

G. Falkenhagen 2003

Floral Adaptations

• Moth Pollination

– Hanging flower; tubed; opens at night

– Color: white or cream

– Strongly sweet odor; lots of nectar

– Sticky pollen

– Examples: Jasmine, Jimsonweed,

Evening Primrose

G. Falkenhagen 2003

Floral Adaptations

• Bee Pollination

– Bilateral flowers with landing platform; hairs

for gripping and UV nectar guides

– Color: white, blue, yellow

– Sweet odor & lots of nectar

– Lots of pollen

Bee Pollinating Services

• 90 Crops in the U.S. rely on bee pollination

• Bees usually forage within 500m of hive but can

go over 4 miles if needed

• Bees average 20-40mg of nectar/load

• Pollen Sources – protein for bees

• Nectar Sources – carbs for bees

Bee Pollinating Services

• Nectar Sources – carbs for bees

– Sucrose is preferred sugar or sucrose mix

– Abundance and Sugar concentration

important

• Pear nectar = 10%

• Legume nectar = 40%+

– Amount varies by day, time, environment

Bee Pollinating Services

• Nectar Sources – carbs for bees

– Produced by special glands (nectaries)

• Vary in structure and position

– Sample Plants

• Basswood - Apple - White clover

• Alfalfa - Dandelion - Willow

• Alsike Clover - Goldenrod - Tulip tree

Bee Pollinating Services

• Pollen Sources – protein for bees

– Plant Pollen sources

• Aster family

• Cat-tail

• Dandelion

• Elm

• Rose family

Bee Pollinating Services

• Pollen Sources – protein for bees

– Primarily collected in spring to feed brood

– Hairs on bee’s body stick to pollen then bee

‘combs’ pollen with leg and sticks into basket

– Pollen pellets weigh up to 20mg

Bee Pollinating Services

D. Hautau

Video on Pollination Importance: 9 minuteshttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5294323989667289565

Bibliography

• Campus Nature Web. University at Albany. 1996. “Fact Sheet: Pollinator Diversity.”

www.albany.edu/natweb/dispoll.html

• Caron, Dewey M. 1999. Honey Bee Biology and beekeeping. Wicwas Press, LLC.

Cp. 20.

• Dunne, Niall. 2005. “The Nature of Nectar.” Plants & Gardens News 20:2.

www.bbg.org/gar2?topics/essays 2005su_naturenectar.html

• Falkenhagen, George. 2003. Alpena Community College. Personal Photos.

• Raven, Peter H., et al. 2008. Biology, 8th ed. McGraw Hill Higher Education. New

York, N.Y.

• Tew, Dr. James E. Accessed 7/26/2007. Ohio State University Extension Fact

Sheet: HYG-2168-98. “Some Ohio Nectar and Pollen Producing Plants.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2168.html

• Other images are personal images of D. Hautau, Alpena Community College, 2007.