Types of Pollination
Pollination Type↕ | Agent↕ | Flower Traits↕ | Example Plants↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Entomophily (insect) | Bees, beetles, butterflies, flies | Colorful, scented, nectar-rich | Apple, almond, sunflower, lavender | Most common animal pollination, honeybees alone pollinate ~$15B of US crops |
Melittophily (bee) | Bees | Blue/yellow, UV guides, landing platform | Clover, blueberry, lavender, snapdragon | Bees see ultraviolet, flowers have hidden UV bullseyes to guide them |
Psychophily (butterfly) | Butterflies | Bright, tubular, daytime nectar | Butterfly bush, milkweed, lantana | Butterflies feed by day, long proboscis reaches deep tubular flowers |
Phalaenophily (moth) | Moths | White, night-open, heavily scented | Evening primrose, jasmine, yucca | Night-blooming pale flowers release strong scent to attract nocturnal moths |
Cantharophily (beetle) | Beetles | Large, bowl-shaped, fruity/fermented scent | Magnolia, water lily, pawpaw | Oldest form of insect pollination, dates back to Cretaceous, beetles chew through flowers |
Myophily (fly) | Flies | Often drab or carrion-scented | Rafflesia, carrion flower, skunk cabbage | Some flowers mimic rotting meat to lure flies, world's largest flower Rafflesia uses this |
Ornithophily (bird) | Hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeyeaters | Red, tubular, odorless, abundant nectar | Hibiscus, fuchsia, bird of paradise, aloe | Birds lack smell, flowers are bright red with no scent, big nectar volumes |
Chiropterophily (bat) | Nectar-feeding bats | Large, pale, night-open, musty scent | Agave, baobab, durian, saguaro cactus | Tequila depends on bat pollination of blue agave, durians follow suit |
Anemophily (wind) | Wind | Small, inconspicuous, no nectar, feathery stigmas | Grasses, wheat, oak, birch, corn | Produce vast amounts of lightweight pollen, the main source of hay fever |
Hydrophily (water) | Water currents | Reduced petals, buoyant pollen or filaments | Seagrass, Vallisneria, eelgrass | Rare strategy, used by some aquatic plants, pollen drifts on water surface or submerged |
Autogamy (self) | Self-pollination | Closed or cleistogamous flowers | Peas, beans, peanuts, wheat | Plant pollinates itself, guarantees seed set but reduces genetic diversity |
Geitonogamy | Between flowers of same plant | Multi-flower inflorescences | Many crops and orchids | Pollinator moves pollen between flowers of the same plant, still genetically self |
Allogamy (cross) | Any external vector | Often dioecious or self-incompatible | Holly, kiwifruit, papaya | Male and female on different plants force cross-pollination and genetic mixing |
Buzz pollination | Bumblebees and native bees | Poricidal anthers | Tomato, blueberry, eggplant, kiwifruit | Bees vibrate at ~400 Hz to shake pollen loose, honeybees cannot do it |
Pseudocopulation | Male insects | Flowers mimic female insect shape and pheromone | Ophrys bee orchids | Flowers look and smell like female wasps, males try to mate and pollinate by accident |
Trap pollination | Flies, beetles | Trap chambers with slippery walls | Arum, Dutchman's pipe, Titan arum | Flowers trap visitors for hours until they deposit pollen, then release them |
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