Ways in which pollination occurs

And today, we are having Summer come back to share a bit about pollination along with a summer science activity for you to enjoy! Hi-ya, peeps! Ulysses and I are super excited to be back sharing another summer science activity with you guys!! But before we share about self-pollination and cross-pollination, we want to share a bit about what happens when a flower is pollinated.

In pollination, the pollen lands on the pistil of a flower. Then, the pollen sprouts a tube down to the ovule, where the pollen and the ovule meet and join. In self-pollination, the pollen from the anther of a flower is transferred to the stigma of the same flower or the stigma of a different flower on the same plant.

Then, pollination occurs and a seed is able to form. This transfer can happen when the pollen grains literally spill onto the stigma, or the transfer can occur with the aid of a pollinator, like an insect, wind, or water. In cross-pollination, the pollen from the anther of a flower on one plant is transferred to the stigma of the flower on another plant of the same species.

This transfer happens when the pollen is moved by an insect, by water, or by the wind. This type of pollination requires that there are two plants of the same variety in the area.

The flowers of plants that use cross-pollination are generally larger. The blooms also usually have a stigma that is taller than the stamens, which gives more of a chance for the pollen to spread to other flowers. Note — Ulysses and I have adapted the following from this F is for First-grade post. The students should see that their bees have picked up each type of pollen from the flowers. They should also see that the pollen on their flowers has been spread out and mixed up.

It only has very small petals but big bright red clusters of stamens. Some flowers have scent to attract insects. Many of these scents are pleasing to humans too, but not all — some flowers attract flies with a smell of rotting meat. Bird-pollinated flowers tend to be large and colourful so birds can see them easily against a background of leaves. Some flowers even change colour to tell birds when to visit.

Most bird-pollinated flowers have lots of nectar, often at the bottom of a tube of petals. Birds need to brush against anthers and stigmas when reaching for the sugary reward with their long beaks.

Grasses are wind pollinated, as are some of our native trees and shrubs, such as beech Nothofagus species , kawakawa Macropiper excelsum , pepper tree and many Coprosma species. Pollination by the wind is very hit and miss. The wind may pick up pollen from a grass flower and scatter it all over the place. Only by chance will a little pollen land on another flower of the same species. Grasslands ensure successful wind pollination through sheer number of flowering plants and the large quantities of pollen released.

Photo by U. Forest Service. Inset photo: A grass plant Bouteloua gracilis in anthesis anthers releasing pollen. Photo by Steve Olson. Some plants such as Erythronium grandiflorum stagger the timing of pollen release to increase visitation by pollinators and lower the chances of self-pollination. Wind-pollinated species like this cottonwood releases copious amounts of pollen from its catkins before the tree leafs out.

Photo by Teresa Prendusi. Clouds of pollen rise above an Engelmann spruce forest. Photo by Al Schneider. Plants that are wind pollinated generally occur as large populations so that the female flowers have a better chance of receiving pollen.

For more information, see Wind and Water Pollination. The small percentages of plants that are pollinated by water are aquatic plants. These plants release their seeds directly into the water. Flowering plants and their animal pollinators have co-evolved where the forces of natural selection on each has resulted in morphological adaptations that have increased their dependency on one another.

Plants have evolved many intricate methods for attracting pollinators. These methods include visual cues , scent , food , mimicry , and entrapment. Likewise, many pollinators have evolved specialized structures and behaviors to assist in plant pollination such as the fur on the face of the black and white ruffed lemur or a bat.

Animal pollinated flowering plants produce pollen that is sticky and barbed to attach to the animal and thus be transferred to the next flower. Plants have evolved differing flowering times that occur throughout the growing season to decrease competition for pollinators and to provide pollinators with a constant supply of food. From the first hints of warmth in late winter through spring and summer, until last call in autumn, flowering plants are available to their pollinators providing pollen and nectar in exchange for the pollination service.