Your evening meal would look a lot different if there were no pollinators. About 75% of crops that produce fruits and vegetables depend on pollinators for food production. Unfortunately, their numbers are declining due to various human activities. In this article we shall explore the importance of pollinators, their threats and what you can do at home to save them!
WHAT ARE POLLINATORS?
Pollinators are insects, birds or mammals that transfer pollen from one flower to another. This results in fertilization that leads to the production of seeds and fruits! There are two types of pollinators: vertebrates (birds, bats and small mammals) and invertebrates (bees, butterflies, beetles, moths, wasps and flies). These account for around 200,000 different species of pollinators.
Pollen and nectar are the main source of food for pollinators. Flowers bloom at different times of the day depending on the pollinators they intend to attract. Day blooming flowers are often brightly coloured to attract bees and birds while night blooming flowers are pale and produce sweet scents to attract moths and bats. These pollinators are not only beneficial to plants but animals as well.
IMPORTANCE OF POLLINATORS
- They play a vital role in the production of healthy crops that provide food, medicine, oils and fibres. The crops include garlic, beans, kale, apples, vanilla, coffee, avocado, chocolate, onions, potatoes, almonds, pumpkin, peaches etc. Even that shot of tequila would not exist had it not been for pollinators.
- They take part in ecosystem regulation and provide a habitat and source of food for wild animals. 90% of wild flowering plants require pollinators to survive. The other 10% are pollinated through wind or water.
- They contribute to higher crop yield in farmlands.
- They are also fundamental in the maturation of savannah, tropical and temperate forests.
THREATS FACED BY POLLINATORS
Urbanization and commercial agriculture have led to fragmentation and destruction of natural landscapes that have reduced the habitat of wild species. This leaves pollinators with limited food and water sources as well as fewer nesting sites.
Changes in agricultural practices and the use of broad-spectrum pesticides can disrupt or destroy established pollinator habitats.
Climate change has altered the abundance, range and seasonal activities of some pollinators in the wild. It brings about extreme events such as high temperatures, floods, droughts and changes to flowering time that impede pollination.
Invasive species can diminish the quality of a pollinator habitat by competing with native plants or animals for resources and attract pollinators away from native plants.
Air pollution can prove a challenge for pollinators that rely on scent trails to find flowers.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WERE NO POLLINATORS?
In rural China there’s a province called Sichuan – a major fruit producer that used enormous amounts of pesticides in their farmlands, which caused the localized extinction of bee species. For pollination to occur the farmers are left to their own devices. They are required to climb trees with a container of apple pollen in hand and using specialized design brushes with long handles, manually transfer pollen to the receptive apple flowers. (Yikes!)
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT? ESTABLISH A HEALTHY POLLINATOR HABITAT IN YOUR HOMES!
How you can do this:
Plant a variety of flowers of different colours and shapes to attract different pollinators.
Plant clumps of vegetation as opposed to single plants.
Go for native plants rather than exotic because native plants are better suited to the soil and climate in your region.
Avoid the use of pesticides and instead practice Integrated Pest Management techniques.
Select plants that flower at different times of the year so as to provide nectar and pollen sources through different seasons of the year.
Pollinators need water too; provide water for them in small dishes, a birdbath and bowls.
CONCLUSION
It is absolutely imperative that we conserve pollinators as food demands increase. A decline in pollinators may impact the growth of vitamin rich fruits and vegetable and bring about malnutrition and other deadly diseases.
In the post Climate change and Food Security, we asked you, our readers, to suggest any topic in the comment section that you would like us to write about and we chose the topic on pollinators suggested by Douglas. Hope you enjoyed this article. We plan to write on more of the suggested topics so stay tuned. 🙂
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Sources
https://www.museumoftheearth.org/bees/agriculture#gsc.tab=0