The Importance of Pollinators: Resilience through Connectivity
We all have our favorite animal. There’s not a shortage of them, that’s for sure. Looking around the world there are hundreds upon thousands of different animals coming in different colors, shapes, and sizes. There are ferocious predators and tiny insects; scaly reptiles and feathered birds. All of these living in different environments and biomes. They all have their niche and provide utility within the animal kingdom. But what if I told you there was one category of animal that created the ecosystems that all the others utilize for their survival? From the grizzly bears in the Rocky Mountains to the Sumatran tigers found in Indonesia, pollinators help shape and perpetuate the ecosystems our favorite animals thrive in.
A pollinator is “anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma)”. Animals that fall into this category of pollinator are butterflies, bees, wasps, flies, moths and certain types of birds and small mammals. The movement of pollen is essential as it is the building block that allows for the growth of new plants and production of fruits and vegetables. The National Park System website says that almost one out of every three bites of food you eat, exists because of the work pollinators put in. Beyond food production, pollinators help around “75% of flowering plants on earth are pollinated” by these animals contributing to clean air and oxygen supply. This means that, not only do pollinators help our favorite animals exist, they also help us, too!
Pollinators can be found everywhere, even in your backyard! Use the Pollinator INaturalist Project to help identify and track these helpful creatures!
Author: Spencer Perillo sustainability student at Arizona State Unniversity
