15 pollinating animals - Characteristics and examples

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 27 January 2021
Update Date: 1 July 2024
Anonim
What Are Pollinators
Video: What Are Pollinators

Content

In nature, each of the animals and plants fulfills a specific function to preserve the balance of the ecosystem to which they belong. Introducing changes that affect any of the populations means fragmenting the species' habitat and, in many cases, this endangers their survival.

You pollinator animals play a very important role in ecosystems, do you know what it is? To find out, we invite you to read the following article, where you can also find features and examples of the main pollinating animals.

What is pollination?

The reproduction of most plant species occurs sexually, that is, it requires the union of female and male cells for it to occur the fertilization. These cells are found in pollen (male), so they need to be transferred to the pistil of flowers (female), where fertilization occurs and, after this process, the flower becomes a fruit with seeds.


Thus, when we talk about plant reproduction, it often requires the intervention of a third party, which is known as "pollinating agent" to make it possible.

These pollinating agents can be insects, other animals and even natural elements such as water and wind. In the case of animal species, they found a balance with flora and they evolved together, so that plants have been able to produce flowers of different aromas, shapes and colors in order to attract pollinating agents to feed on the nectar.

When animals feed on nectar, carry the pollen involuntarily on their paws, wings or other body part. By covering themselves with pollen, they deposit it on the next flower they feed on, allowing the substance to reach the pistil so that the reproductive process is completed. Now, when it comes to pollination, there are different ways, some involve the intervention of animals and some do not, so you should know the different ones. types of pollination that exists.


Types of pollination

these are the different types of pollination that exists:

direct pollination

Also called self-pollination, occurs when pollen from the flower moves to the pistil of the same flower. It can be autogamy or geitogamy.

  • Autogamy: occurs when the male and female gamete come from the same flower.
  • Geitogamy: occurs when the male and female gametes come from different flowers, but of the same species; that is, pollen is transported from one flower to another of the same plant. Different pollinating agents are involved (animals, water or air).

Cross pollination

In this type of pollination, the pollen of a species is transported to the pistil of a flower of another species. The pollinating agents are essential for this process and, depending on who is responsible for transporting the pollen, we would be facing several subtypes of pollination.


These subtypes are:

  • abiotic pollination: occurs thanks to the intervention of animals. It can be ornithophilic (birds), zoophilic (mammals) or entomophilic (insects).
  • abiotic pollination: occurs thanks to the intervention of water (hydrophilic) or wind (anemophilic), agents that are responsible for accidentally transporting pollen, either to the same plant or to others, so there are cases in which abiotic pollination is, in turn , a subtype of self-pollination.
  • Vibratory Pollination: is used by bees and drones to extract pollen from tubular flowers, otherwise they cannot access it. The process is simple: the insect clings to the flower with its paws and flaps its wings; the resulting vibratory movement helps to remove pollen spores.

artificial pollination

It is the one that occurs with the human intervention. It is carried out for agricultural production purposes or when you want to obtain some specific characteristics in the plant in question. The human being intervenes throughout the process and follows the steps to achieve the expected result. It is the opposite of natural pollination, described in the previous types and subtypes.

Now that you know the different types of pollination, it's time to show which animals are responsible for intervening in this process.

pollinating insects

We will start this list of animals that pollinate with insects, the best known animals in the task of pollinate the flowers. Below, we mention the main and best known pollinating insects, along with their characteristics:

1. Bees

Bees, belonging to the Apoidea family, are insects that can be found practically all over the world. The importance of bees as pollinating insects it is one of the biggest concerns at the environmental level. We are talking about one of the most important animals, as they play an important role not only in maintaining the balance of ecosystems, but also in human food production, as they are responsible for pollinating multiple species that are cultivated for consumption. Every species of bee that exists is responsible for fulfilling this function.

2. Ants

Ants belong to the Formicidae family and are euro social insects, that is, they have a well-defined social organization, in which each member plays a role around the figure of a queen ant.

Among the foods that ants eat are flowers, so contribute to pollination, although in smaller amounts. In most cases, they are among the pollinating animals with pollen on their backs, that is, they can carry part of the pollen accidentally on your back. Likewise, they are animals that pollinate and disperse seeds, as they often contribute to transporting them.

3. Flower flies

Syrphids, names of a family of dipterous insects which are also called flower flies, have an extensive global distribution. Furthermore, their outward appearance allows them to be often mistaken for bees. These flies generally prefer white or yellow flowers, and there are even some species that feed only on nectar of specific flowers. By feeding on this nectar, they contribute to the transport of pollen.

4. Butterflies

Butterflies belong to the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths and other insects. There are about 165,000 species, most of which are found among animals. night pollinators, although there are also diurnal varieties.

In order to extract the nectar from the flowers, the butterflies have a mouth apparatus in the form of an elongated tube, called a spirothrombus, with which they suck to feed. Thanks to this, they can transport pollen to different flowers.

5. Bumblebee or light yellow-tailed bumblebee

O common bumblebee (terrestrial bombs) is an insect that looks similar to the bee in terms of colors, as its body is yellow and black, except for its larger size and villi. feed on nectar and pollen, which they store in their colonies, whose organization is similar to that of bees. When necessary, they use vibratory pollination.

6. Wasps

Under the name wasps, several species of the order Hymenoptera are included. They measure around five centimeters and have a black and yellow coloration, in addition to a poisonous stinger. Although the diet of wasps is mostly carnivorous, sometimes can feed on nectar and transporting pollen accidentally.

7. Mosquitoes

Not all mosquitoes feed on blood, in fact, only females are hematophagous. Males, on the contrary, suck the nectar from the flowers and contribute to pollination. In America alone, they are tasked with pollinating nearly 400 different species of plants.

8. Coleoptera

Coleoptera are commonly known as beetles and inhabit the Earth since the Permian. There are about 375,000 species that are distributed throughout the world, have different sizes and shades, although they are identified by large mouthparts in most species. Beetles feed on fungi, other insects, roots, wood, decaying material, flowers and pollen, therefore, some species contribute to the task of pollinating.

Non-Insect Pollinating Animals

Now, did you know that there are other animals besides insects that are responsible for the pollination of flowers? So it is! Below, we show other animals that are not insects:

9. Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds belong to the Trochilidae family and are endemic to the American continent, where there are about 300 species. They are characterized by their small size, elongated and thin beak, and wings capable of moving at an impressive speed. However, what does the hummingbird eat? All species of hummingbirds feed on nectartherefore, its pollinating role is very important. In particular, they fulfill this role with the tubular-shaped flowers, where their beaks allow them to reach the food.

10. Lemur

The name of lemurs includes different species of primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. Are animals night pollinators and are characterized by their bright eyes and ringed-patterned tail. The diet of lemur species is varied, it influences fruits, herbs, leaves, pollen and nectar. Those who feed on pollen and nectar are an important link in the process of pollinating, and are usually animals that carry the pollen on their backs, attached to their coat, helping to spread it.

11. Mauritius Day ornamented gecko

The lizard of the day (Phelsuma ornata) is a reptile endemic to Mauritius, located in the south india. The species measures only 12 centimeters and has a coloration that can vary between brown, blue and bluish green on the body, with brown stripes on the flanks and a pattern of blue, white or red. This species of lizard feeds on insects and invertebrates, but also consume pollen and nectar, therefore contribute to pollination.

12. Slugs

the slugs are terrestrial molluscs that belong to the order Pulmonata. Although, slugs do not occupy an important position when it comes to pollination, as they generally feed on plant or animal waste, in addition to the undersides of plants, they contribute as indirect pollinators by crawling over the flowers, shedding the pollen and transporting it to other places.

13. Southern long-nosed bat

The long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae) is a bat that is distributed in the caves and forests of Colombia, Venezuela and Aruba. feeds on fruits, nectar and pollen of different species, being a nocturnal pollinator. Furthermore, it contributes as a seed disperser.

14. Birds of the Nectariniidae family

Commonly called suimangas and arañeros, the family Nectariniidae comprises 144 species of birds that include the flower nectar as a staple in their diets, although many of them also feed on insects. The species are distributed in Africa, Australia and Asia, where they prefer areas with tropical climates. Thanks to their population density and the number of species that exist, they play a important role for floral pollination.

15. Rice rat

The rice rat (nephelomys devil) is a species of rodent that is distributed in Costa Rica and Panama. It is little known, but it is known that it feeds on small fungi that grow at the foot of the trees. Although their pollination work is less, the search for their food is a way to contribute to the accidental spread of spores of pollen, either around them or by involuntary transporting them in their coat.

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