Anemophily

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Anemophily

Anemophily or wind pollination is a form of pollination

Pollination

Pollination in flowering plants and gymnosperms is the process that transfers pollen, which contain the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself....
whereby pollen

Pollen

Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of Gametophyte , which produce the male gametes of spermatophyta. A hard coat covering the pollen grain protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement between the stamens of the flower to the pistil of the next flower....
is distributed by wind

WIND

The Global Geospace Science WIND satellite is a NASA science spacecraft launched at 04:31:00 EST on November 1, 1994 from launch pad 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Merritt_Island%2C_Florida, Florida aboard a McDonnell Douglas Delta II 7925-10 rocket....
. Anemophilous plants may be either gymnosperms (non-flowering) or angiosperms (flower-producing). However, flowering anemophilous species do not develop scented flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s, nor do they produce nectar.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Anemophily'

Start a new discussion about 'Anemophily'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Anemophily or wind pollination is a form of pollination

Pollination

Pollen

WIND

Flower

Entomophily

Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by insects, particularly bees, Lepidoptera , fly and beetles. Entomophilous species frequently evolve mechanisms to make themselves more appealing to insects, e.g., brightly-colored or scented flowers, nectar, or appealing shapes and patterns....
and zoophilous

Zoophily

Zoophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is transferred by vertebrates, particularly by hummingbirds and other birds, and bats, but also by monkeys, marsupials, lemurs, bears, rabbits, deer, rodents, lizards and other animals....
species (whose pollen is spread by insect

Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
s and vertebrate

Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
s respectively).

Male and female reproductive organs are generally found in separate flowers, the male flowers having a number of long filaments terminating in exposed stamen

Stamen

The stamen is the male organ of a flower. Each stamen generally has a stalk called the filament , and, on top of the filament, an anther , and pollen sacs, called sporangium....
s, and the female flowers having long, feather

Feather

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates....
-like stigmas.

Pollen from anemophilous plants tends to be smaller and lighter in weight than pollen from entomophilous ones, with very low nutritional value to insects. However, insects sometimes gather pollen from staminate anemophilous flowers at times when higher protein

Protein

Proteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid Residue ....
pollens from entomophilous flowers are scarce. Also anemophilous pollens may also be inadvertently captured by bee

Bee

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants. Bees are a monophyly lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila....
s' electrostatic field. This may explain why, though bees are not observed to visit ragweed

Ragweed

Ragweeds , also called bitterweeds and bloodweeds, are a genus of flowering plants from the sunflower family .The scientific name of this genus is sometimes claimed to be derived from the Ancient Greek term for the perfumed nourishment of the gods, ambrosia which would be ironic since the genus is best known for one fact:...
flowers, its pollen is often found

Melissopalynology

Melissopalynology is the study of honey. By extension, it also includes the study of any pollen contained in honey as well as the pollen's source....
in honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet fluid produced by honey bees , and derived from the nectar of flowers. According to the United States National Honey Board and various international food regulations, "honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance?this includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners...
made during the ragweed floral bloom. Other flowers that are generally anemophilous are observed to be actively worked by bees, with solitary bees often visiting grass

Poaceae

Poaceae or Gramineae is a family in the Class Liliopsida of the Magnoliophyta. Plants of this family are usually called grasses; the shrub- or tree-like plants in this family are called bamboo ....
flowers, and the larger honeybees and bumblebee

Bumblebee

A bumblebee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae; there are over 250 known species primarily occurring in the Northern Hemisphere....
s frequently gathering pollen from corn

Maize

Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
tassels and other grains.

Almost all pollens that are allergen

Allergen

An allergen is a parasite antigen capable of stimulating a type-I hypersensitivity reaction in atopy individuals.Most humans mount significant Immunoglobulin E responses only as a defense against parasitic infections....
s are anemophilous. Ragweed

Ragweed

Birch

Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae....
es.

Other common anemophilous plants are grass

Grass

Grass is the common word that generally describes monocotyledonous green plants. The family Poaceae are the "true grasses" and include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns ....
species, conifers, sweet chestnut

Sweet Chestnut

The Sweet Chestnut , also known as the Spanish Chestnut, Portuguese Chestnut or European chestnut, is a species of chestnut originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor....
s, and members of the hickory

Hickory

Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as Hickory. The genus includes 17?19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaf and large nut ....
family.