The Importance of Bees
Where would an ecosystem be without pollinators? In truth, there probably wouldn't be one. As humans, we use many of the natural resources of the world to sustain our lives. Ecosystems provide us with important services such as climate regulation, soil production, water purification, and crop pollination. Pollinators such as honeybees provide the agricultural sector of both Canada and the United States with billions of dollars in revenue each year, but they are worth much more than that. It is impossible to measure their economical and ecological value, but they are ultimately the basis of the agricultural business.
Pollination refers to the transfer of pollen from the male part of a plant flower (the anther) to the female part (the stigma). You could say that everything is connected to pollination in some way. The grains we eat are self-pollinated or wind pollinated; fruits, vegetables, and nuts are insect pollinated; oils and fats come from oil seeds like peanut or sunflower, plants which are pollinated by insects; even animal products like beef and dairy exist because of insect-pollinated legumes.
Pollinators are considered the keystone species of the world's ecosystems, meaning that without them, ecosystems as a whole would probably collapse. The pollination of plants allows them to be genetically diverse, and some plants depend on cross-pollination (pollen being crossed with pollen of another plant of same species) to produce strong offspring.
Pollinators are an important part in the food chain and the circle of life; one example is that of the fig tree. The fig fruit is food for many different birds, bats and monkeys, and the tree itself is home to a diversity of insects, rodents, reptiles and amphibians. This tree, already supporting so much other life, is not independent on anything else and relies on pollinators to survive. Without a bee or wasp to pollinate its flowers, the tree would die and not be able to sustain the species living within it. (Pollination Canada, 2008)
Pollination refers to the transfer of pollen from the male part of a plant flower (the anther) to the female part (the stigma). You could say that everything is connected to pollination in some way. The grains we eat are self-pollinated or wind pollinated; fruits, vegetables, and nuts are insect pollinated; oils and fats come from oil seeds like peanut or sunflower, plants which are pollinated by insects; even animal products like beef and dairy exist because of insect-pollinated legumes.
Pollinators are considered the keystone species of the world's ecosystems, meaning that without them, ecosystems as a whole would probably collapse. The pollination of plants allows them to be genetically diverse, and some plants depend on cross-pollination (pollen being crossed with pollen of another plant of same species) to produce strong offspring.
Pollinators are an important part in the food chain and the circle of life; one example is that of the fig tree. The fig fruit is food for many different birds, bats and monkeys, and the tree itself is home to a diversity of insects, rodents, reptiles and amphibians. This tree, already supporting so much other life, is not independent on anything else and relies on pollinators to survive. Without a bee or wasp to pollinate its flowers, the tree would die and not be able to sustain the species living within it. (Pollination Canada, 2008)