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12/9/2016
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Pollination, Wildflowers, and Importance of Beneficial Insects
Andy Waltke, M.S.
Creighton University
Common Soil Seed Library Lecture Series
Pollination: Important Terms• Pollination – the process of transferring pollen from the male to the female reproductive parts of the flower
• Pollinator – organism that transfers pollen between flowers, is rewarded with nectar
• Self Pollination – flowers that complete pollination inside the flowers before they open and are visited but do not need pollinators• Solanaceae, most peas/beans and lettuces
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Modes of Pollination
• BIOTIC – needing another organism to complete pollination• About 80% of all flowering plants
• ABIOTIC – without intervention by life• Wind – grasses, most conifers, many trees
• Water – aquatic plants• Typically are not fragrant…no need to attract pollinators
Flower Anatomy
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Seeds from “Open Pollination”
• Seeds that will breed true or represent parents
• NOT the result of a controlled cross of plants
• Seeds pollinated by a natural means
• Why you want to space varieties apart from one another if you want “the seed to breed true”• Otherwise pollen from say 5 types of basil will all be mixed by pollinators if in close proximity
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Pollinators• Some 150‐200k species worldwide, most insects
• Bees and some Wasps
• Moths/Butterflies
• Flies• Beetles
• About 1500 bird &
Mammal species• Hummingbirds
• Bats• Small Mammals
Diversity of Pollinators (Night to Day)
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Good Bugs ‐ Bees
• Bees ‐ All bees gather and feed on nectar and pollen, which distinguishes them from wasps and hornets.
• As they forage for food, bees transfer stray grains of pollen from flower to flower and pollinate the blooms.
• There are some 20,000 species of bees worldwide, and nearly 5,000 in North America
Plant Adaptations
• Plants adapt to advertise to specific pollinators through flower characteristics!
• Color
• Shape
• Scent
• Timing
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Flower Adaptations• Flower color – white for moths or bats at night, yellow is best for bees or insects
• Flower shape – long and skinny for hummingbirds or moths, and flat for bees• very diverse in orchids (27,800 species)
• Flower scent – often attracts a single species or group of organisms, • other plants have lost the need for fragrance
• Timing – open at night or day or in different seasons
ant eception!
• Ophrys Orchids• Flowers have
evolved to look like their bee pollinators!
• No nectar, the bee is tricked into having sex with the flower to pollinate it!
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Bee Vision
• Plant adaptations go beyond what the eye can see…Most bees and insects can see into the UV spectrum of light.
• So plants respond by essentially making unseen targets to attract pollinators!
Adaptations for Mammal Pollinators
• Pradosia in the family Sapotaceae
Massive trees with tiny white flowers on top
Much smaller trees with scented red flowers on trunk
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Coevolution
• Plants and insects evolving together becoming interdependent upon one another for reproduction.
• Frequently when one species is lost the other will go extinct
• Flower adaptations restrict what pollinators can access nectar and hence complete pollination
Coevolution of Species
• Obligate pollinators – “with necessity”
• Creates host and pollinator relationships
• Exemplifies the importance of ecology!
• Examples:• Yucca moth
• Brazil Nut Ecology
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Yucca moth and plant
• Only female moth with modified mouthparts to successfully transfer pollen between flowers
• Lays eggs in ovary of flower and larvae can only live off Yucca seeds
• Without moth these plants could not complete cross pollination• Without the seeds, the moth could not complete its life cycle!
Yucca filamentosa
Moth in Flower
Holes from larvae
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Brazil Nuts• Brazil nuts are the most valuable annual crop in the Amazon beyond timber.
• In 2014, Bolivia alone had $175 million in exports
• Massive emergent trees in the tropics!
Brazil Nut Ecology
• Pollinated by Neotropical Euglossine bees, and a few other large bodied solitary bees.
• Annual crops are completely dependent upon these bees
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Euglossine Bees • Large bees are the only bugs capable of entering pollen area of Brazil nut flowers
• Males bees need scent from specific orchids to court females and complete their lifecycle
• Solitary, so cannot move hives for plantations, MUST move plantations!
• Also pollinate vanilla orchids!
• Metallic and with long tongue
Therefore…
• Without the bees, there are no Brazil nuts!
• BUT without the orchids there will be no bees!
• The trees therefore DEPEND on the orchids!
• With enough disturbance and clear cutting, the sensitive orchids will not replenish in time or have large trees to grow in• Or orchids may be too far from trees to matter
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Pollinators Are At Risk!
Chemical exposure and habitat loss!
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WHY IMPORTANT?
Beyond Pollination…Good Bugs
• Insect predators of other pest bugs!
• Ladybugs, lacewings, spiders, mantids, & wasps!
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Green Lacewings
Lacewing Eggs!
Pollinator Friendly Practices• Use native plants and avoid hybrids as pollen, nectar or scent production may have been lost
• Provide a variety of flower shapes and colors for different pollinators
• Plant many flower types to bloom spring to fall and plant those in clusters not singly
• Leave patches of bare earth (water/minerals)
• Build a bee condo or leave out limbs for shelter
• Provide shallow water dishes with rocks!
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Pollinator Checklist
• Food• Need flowers for nectar (diverse and all season)• Need bare soil for minerals/water
• Water• Shallow water dishes so they do not drown
• Shelter• Bug hotels, brush piles or stacked logs
Lacewing Hotel
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Insect Hotels
Insect Water Dishes
Shallow water bowl with rocks or marbles so the insects do not drown!
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Favorite Plants of Pollinators
• Bees: daisies, asters, sunflowers, salvia, mint, lavender
• Hummingbirds: trumpet vine, honeysuckle, hollyhocks, sage
• Butterflies: zinnia, echinaceae, black‐eyed Susan, coreopsis
• Etc…
Favorite Pollinator Plants
• Wildflowers but also…
• In particular the:• Aster Family (Asteraceae)
• Mint Family (Lamiaceae)
• Carrot Family (Apiaceae)
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In conclusion
• Begin to think about and cultivate and complete food web in your backyard garden! There is so much nature to be had!
• Pollination shows the millions of adaptations and relationships plants have created in the natural world to complete their survival.
• They show the interconnectedness of nature but also point to blatant future vulnerabilities if action is not taken to help these vital creatures out!
Further Resources
• Wikipedia – greatt hub of information related to pollination, pollinators and further reading!
• Xerces Society (www.xerces.org/fact‐sheets/)• Resources tab of page
• Pollinator Partnership (www.pollinator.org/)
Prairie Parkland Province• Download Planting Guide
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