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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 ...
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 ...
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]
Their flowers tend to be small and inconspicuous with many pollen grains and large, feathery stigmas to catch the pollen. However, this is relatively uncommon (only 2% of pollination is hydrophily) and most aquatic plants are insect-pollinated, with flowers that emerge into the air. Vallisneria is an example. [citation needed]
Most commonly, flowers are insect-pollinated, known as entomophilous; literally "insect-loving" in Greek. [61] To attract these insects flowers commonly have glands called nectaries on various parts that attract animals looking for nutritious nectar. [62] Some flowers have glands called elaiophores, which produce oils rather than nectar. [63]
Furthermore, flower structures that evolved to trap insects to accomplish pollination are found in many monocot genera. [1] In relation to flower arrangement alone, plants with perfect flowers should be most likely to self-pollinate while dioecious plants should be most likely to cross-pollinate.
Pollination by flies, known as myophily, is the second most prevalent method of pollination among orchids, involving pollinators from twenty different dipteran families. [13] These flowers typically emit scents reminiscent of decaying organic materials, excrement, or carrion, which attract flies seeking food or suitable sites for egg deposition ...
Hummingbird Phaethornis longirostris on an Etlingera inflorescence. Ornithophily or bird pollination is the pollination of flowering plants by birds.This sometimes (but not always) coevolutionary association is derived from insect pollination (entomophily) and is particularly well developed in some parts of the world, especially in the tropics, Southern Africa, and on some island chains. [1]