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Pollinator      [ Botany - Ecology ]

Dictionary of botanic terminology - index of names

     
  Pollinator agents are all the various biotic or abiotic means used by plants in order to transfer pollen from the male stamens of a flower to the female anthers of a different flower ( pollination )  

A pollinator causes plants to make fruit or seeds. They do this by moving pollen from one part of the flower of a plant to another part. This pollen then fertilizes the plant. Only fertilized plants can make fruit and seeds, most plants (but not all) won't reproduce or grow fruit without the unwillingly aid of pollinators
Floral peculiar characteristics associated with pollination by means of various pollinators are called pollination syndromes.

The abiotic pollinators agents are:

  • Wind (wind pollination or anemophily)
  • Water (water pollination or hydrophily)

The main biotic pollinators agents are:

  • Insect (Entomophily)
    o Bees (Melittophily or Hymenopterophily.)
    o Hawk moths and nocturnal Lepidoptera (Sphingophily & Phalaenophily)
    o Beetles (Cantharophily or Carantherophily)
    o Butterflies (Psychophily)
    o Fly (Diptera) (Myophily)
    o Carrion fly (Sapromyophily)
    o Small bees (Micromelittophily)
    o Ants (Myrmecophily)
    o Carrion beetles (Necrocoleopterophily)
     
  • Animals ( zoophily)
    o Birds and Hummingbird (Ornithophily)
    o Bats (Cheiropterophily)
    o Snails or slugs (Malacophily)
    o Anthropophily. Pollinated by man.
     

 


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Holdfast roots  [ Botany  ]

Dictionary of botanic terminology - index of names

 
     
  Some species of climbing plants develop holdfast roots which help to support the vines on trees, walls, and rocks. By forcing their way into minute pores and crevices, they hold the plant firmly in place.  
     
Climbing plants, like the poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), and trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans),  develop holdfast roots which help to support the vines on trees, walls, and rocks. By forcing their way into minute pores and crevices, they hold the plant firmly in place. Usually the Holdfast roots die at the end of the first season, but in some species they are perennial. In the tropics some of the large climbing plants have hold-fast roots by which they attach themselves, and long, cord-like roots that extend downward through the air and may lengthen and branch for several years until they strike the soil and become absorbent roots.

Major references and further lectures:
1) E. N. Transeau “General Botany” Discovery Publishing House, 1994
     

 

 

 

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