What are the characteristics of wind-pollinated flowers and insect-pollinated flowers?

Flower pollination mostly requires the help of external forces, such as artificial, insect or wind, etc., so there is a classification of wind-pollinated flowers and insect-pollinated flowers. What are the characteristics of wind-pollinated flowers and insect-pollinated flowers?

What are the characteristics of wind-pollinated flowers and insect-pollinated flowers?

Wind-pollinated flowers: wind-pollinated flowers are pollinated by the wind.

1. Florets, not bright; perianth degraded or non-existent; no aroma and nectaries; pollen is dry and light, numerous, exine smooth.

two。 Some wind-pollinated flowers have pinnate stigmas and long drooping filaments (e.g. rice); or soft inverted catkins (e.g. poplars); or first leaf flowering (e.g. birches).

Insect-pollinated flowers: insect-pollinated flowers are called insect-pollinated flowers, and flowers pollinated in this way are called insect-pollinated flowers.

1. Insect-borne flowers rely on insects (bees, butterflies, moths, flies, ants, etc.) to transmit pollen. Generally, the Corolla is large and prominent, with bright colors, aroma or nectaries; pollen grains are large, sticky and easy to adhere to the body of insects.

two。 Pollen is rich in nutrients and can be used as food for insects. These characteristics are beneficial for insects to spread pollen. The flowers of rape, melons, peaches, apples and pears are all insect-pollinated flowers.

3. The pollen grains of insect-pollinated flowers are generally larger than those of wind-pollinated flowers; the exine of pollen is rough and often spiny; when the anthers are split, they are not dispersed by the wind, but stick to the anthers; insects are easy to touch and attach to the body when visiting flowers to collect nectar; the stigma of pistil is also secreted, and the pollen is stuck as soon as it is touched; the number of pollen is much less than that of wind-pollinated flowers.

The pollination of wind-pollinated flowers and insect-pollinated flowers belongs to cross-pollination, while cross-pollination is greatly affected by natural conditions, such as low temperature, long rain and storms during flowering, which will adversely affect wind-pollinated or insect-pollinated flowers. As a result, the chance of pollination is reduced and the fruiting is affected.