The Plant Kingdom Living on Planet Earth © 2011 abcteach.com Animal Pollinators Plant and Animal Relationships (Part 1)

Plant and Animal Relationships Plants have a number of methods of reproducing. Vegetative reproduction is when a piece of the plant breaks off and starts a new shoot, or when roots and bulbs send up new growth. © 2011 abcteach.com

Plant and Animal Relationships Pollination occurs when pollen enters the stamen of a flower and starts to grow seeds. Cross pollination is the mixing of genetic material from two plants resulting in the creation of seeds having characteristics of both parents. © 2011 abcteach.com

Plant and Animal Relationships Cross pollination helps a plant species adapt to changes in the environment because the new plant has unique characteristics that might help the species survive. The pollinators include wind, water and animals. © 2011 abcteach.com

Plant and Animal Relationships Plants and their animal pollinators are very dependent upon each other. Animals benefit from the food plants provide, and plants often need the help of animals to pollinate and spread their seeds. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Animals are attracted to specific plants species or types of flowers. Some like the size and shape of a plant’s petals and leaves. Others like the scent of the flower or the taste of its nectar. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Some flowers are close to the ground and attract a variety of animals. Those high up draw the attention of flying insects or birds. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators An animal visits a plant expecting to get a meal or to lay its eggs. It delivers pollen to the next flower, helping to produce future generations of plants and food that will benefit its own kind. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Some flowers give off a stinky odor of rotted meat or dung. Beetles, not having good vision, approach the plant expecting to lay their eggs. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Most flies compete with beetles. They have short tongues and take nectar and pollen from small open flowers. Bees and wasps compete with beetles and small flies for pollen & nectar. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Moths are active at night, and butterflies during the day. They have long tongues that go deep into tubes or nectar spurs. They are attracted to sweet and pleasant flower fragrances. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Bats are attracted to the musky and sweet scents of nectar and pollen being produced by the flowers at night. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Ants find it hard to resist nectar and other sugary substances. Some plants specialize in attracting ants. They provide chambers in the stems and leaves where ants build their nests. The ants supply nutrients to the plants as they drag in soil and leave behind their waste. © 2011 abcteach.com

The majority of bird pollinators are hummingbirds. They eat flower nectar for energy and insects for protein. Bird flowers are mostly large and shaped like tubes to hold large amounts of nectar. Animal Pollinators © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Birds are attracted to the red and yellow colors as most of these flowers are scentless. Hawaiian bellflowers are pollinated by honey creepers, birds with long curved beaks that match the shape of the flower blossom. © 2011 abcteach.com

Animal Pollinators Many other animals accidentally transport pollen as they go about their daily activities. Those animals, able to move greater distances in shorter periods of time, play an important role in the balance of nature. © 2011 abcteach.com

Seeds are transported far from the parent plant by animals. Many seeds have spurs and sticky coats. They cling to bird feathers and animal hair. Most important are the eaten seeds. Some seeds have a hard or oily surface that resists digestive juices. Seed Transporters © 2011 abcteach.com

Seed Transporters These same seeds are found to have a higher rate of germination when they are excreted at the animal’s new location. Some even begin the process of germination as they are passing through the intestines of a large animal. © 2011 abcteach.com

Plant and Animal Pollinators Plant and animal species have adapted to assist one and other in a variety of ways. These cooperative efforts have provided planet Earth with a multitude of amazing life forms. © 2011 abcteach.com

The Plant Kingdom Living on Planet Earth © 2011 abcteach.com Images Courtesy of: Microsoft Office Clip Art and Contributions from abcteach.com staff members, and others as identified