Pollination The Enduring Relationship between Plant and Pollinator

About this book

Pollination is essential to the survival of most plants on Earth. Some plants rely on the wind to transport pollen from one flower to another. Others employ an array of ingenious strategies to attract and exploit pollinators, whether they be insects, birds, or mammals. This beautifully illustrated book provides an unprecedented look at the wonders of pollination biology, drawing on the latest science to explain the extraordinarily complex relationship between plant and pollinator, and revealing why pollination is vital for healthy ecosystems and a healthy planet.

Timothy Walker offers an engaging introduction to pollination biology and explores the many different tactics of plant reproduction. He shows how wind and water can be effective yet wildly unpredictable means of pollination, and describes the intimate interactions of pollinating plants with bees and butterflies, beetles and birds, and lizards and bats. Walker explores how plants entice pollinators using scents, colours, and shapes, and how plants rely on rewards as well as trickery to attract animals. He sheds light on the important role of pollination in ecology, evolution, and agriculture, and discusses why habitat management, species recovery programs, and other conservation efforts are more critical now than ever.

Featuring hundreds of colour photos and illustrations, Pollination is suitable for undergraduate study and is an essential resource for naturalists, horticulturalists, and backyard gardeners.

Contents

Introduction   6

Chapter 1. What is Pollination?   8
Chapter 2. Wind and Water   44
Chapter 3. Animals   66
Chapter 4. Attraction   96
Chapter 5. Rewards   126
Chapter 6. The Biological Significance of Pollination   154
Chapter 7. Pollination, Pollinators and People   182
Chapter 8. Conservation of Pollinators   198

Bibliography   216
Index   217
Picture Credits   224

Customer Reviews

Biography

Timothy Walker is lecturer in plant sciences at Somerville College, University of Oxford. He is the author of Plant Conservation: Why It Matters and How It Works, Plants: A Very Short Introduction, and Euphorbias.