Discover ALL types of pollination

Image: Pinterest

The pollination It is one of the most interesting and important processes in the world of plants since it allows the appearance of seeds and fruits and the perpetuation of plant species. This beautiful process allows plants to reproduce and to fill the fields and gardens of our towns and cities. Pollination is a process similar to human fertilization, in which pollen travels from the stamens of the plant that generated it to the stigma of the recipient plant.

Nature has devised several methods for pollen to get from one plant to another, thus generating various types of pollination. In this article by a PROFESSOR we will review what is pollination and what types of pollination exist.

Index

1. What is pollination?
2. Differences between cross pollination and direct pollination
3. Natural pollination, another type of pollination
4. Artificial pollination

Pollination is the process of pollen transport from the stamen of the generating plant to the receiving part of another plant (stigma). Pollination is a process similar to fertilization of human beings since during this fertilization is produces the transfer of genetic material from one to another and culminates in the formation of a new individual.

There are different ways of carrying out this transfer of pollen from one plant to another that can be classified according to different criteria. In the first place, it can be classified according to the pollen-producing plant is the same as the one that receives it (pollination direct pollination or self-pollination) or if the plant that receives the pollen is different from the one that produced it (pollination crusade).

However, the most used criterion is the classification according to the factor that carries out the pollination. On the one hand, pollination can take place without the intervention of man (natural) or with direct intervention of this (artificial). As long as pollination takes place naturally, the causative agent can be a living being (insects, birds, etc.) or a non-living force of nature (wind, water, etc.).

In the following sections we will look at each type of pollination carefully. If you are interested in knowing the differences between them, keep reading!

Image: Pinterest

The direct pollination or self-pollination It is one in which the pollen grain produced in the stamen reaches a stigma of the same flower that generates it. Plants with this type of pollination are called self-pollinated and, as in the case of wheat or mango, they usually have a small flower, without nectar, odors and with few colors and pollen.

The advantage of this type of pollination are:

• They do not need pollinating agents so in the absence of these, the plant can reproduce equally
• They have to generate less amount of pollen since it has to travel short distances and it is not wasted. This factor is very important since pollen production is very expensive for the plant.

Cross pollination

It is the one in which the pollen grain produced in the stamen of a flower leaves that flower to reach the stigma of a second flower, which it fertilizes. In this case an external agent is needed to the plant that transports pollen from one flower to another. Cross pollination occurs when the female and male flower do not appear at the same time in the life cycle of the plant (as in the avocado) or when male and female flower appear in different species (as in the melon).

Plants that use this type of pollination generally have flowers with special smell, color and shape to attract pollinators or allow wind or water to disperse pollen grains and stamens longer so that pollen grains can easily exit the plant. In direct pollination two flowers of different plants are involved, so there are genetic differences between the pollen and the ovule of the recipient plant and the plant that is created during fertilization has characteristics of both.

Therefore, advantage main of direct pollination are:

• In fertilization, greater genetic diversity is created since the DNA comes from two different plants, the one that creates the pollen and the one that creates the ovum.
• The descendants are stronger, more viable and resistant since the reproduction of good characters is favored (greater resistance to droughts, pests, etc.)
• There is the possibility of obtaining new desirable characters through mutations.
• It helps in the evolution of the plant species since increasingly better adapted individuals are created
• Unwanted plant characters can be quickly eliminated.

Image: SlidePlayer

The natural pollination is all that occurs in nature without direct human intervention. Within natural pollination, we can observe different types of pollination depending on what or who does it, that is, the natural agent involved. Natural pollinating agents can be divided into: biotic (living beings) or abiotic (they are not living beings, but forces of nature). The main types of pollination in nature are:

• Anemophilic pollination. In anemophilic pollination, pollen is transported by an abiotic factor: the wind. These types of plants generate a large amount of very light pollen with shapes that allow it to float or be transported a long distance. This type of pollination is very common and some examples of anemophilic plants are conifers and some grasses.
• Hydrophilic or water pollination. Pollination by water is not very common and usually occurs in plants with self-fertilization and / or aquatic plants such as yana, a North American aquatic plant, or posidonia, an aquatic plant Mediterranean. This type of pollen can float, in the case of floating flowering plants or it can not float but remain suspended in water courses.
• Entomophilic pollination. It is one of the best known forms: pollination carried out by insects. The best known pollinators are bees, wasps, flies, moths, beetles, and butterflies. The pollen grains produced by entomophilic species are usually large and sticky, because they adhere to the body of the insect that is responsible for pollination. These flowers also usually generate a lot of nectar, a sugary substance that attracts pollinators and with which they pay for their transport of pollen to the female plant. It is the most widespread pollination among plants with direct pollination since it is more efficient.

Image: PlantaMer

Artificial pollination occurs when man replaces nature throughout the pollination process and controls plant reproduction. To prevent natural pollinating agents from acting, they are bagged, pollen is collected from the stamen and moved to the stigma, and then covered again until fertilization takes place.

As you can imagine, this process is very costly in both time and money, so it is reserved for situations where there are shortage of natural pollinating agents in an agricultural crop or because it is desired to avoid alterations in the specific characteristics of a certain plant.

Do you have any input or questions about the types of pollination? Write in our comments section!

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of pollination, we recommend that you enter our category of biology.