Pollinators are organisms that mediate the transfer of pollen between the male and female reproductive structures of seed plants, thereby enabling sexual reproduction and gene flow within and among plant populations. They encompass a diverse set of taxa, including many insects (notably bees, flies, butterflies, moths, beetles), some vertebrates (such as birds and bats), and other animals that incidentally or actively collect floral resources like nectar and pollen. In ecological and evolutionary research, pollinators are central to studies of plant–animal mutualisms, floral trait adaptation, community assembly, and ecosystem functioning, as well as to analyses of network structure, coevolutionary dynamics, and the stability and resilience of plant–pollinator interaction webs.
Dikes are indispensable for bees, especially if they are home to many different plant and flower species. A large census conducted on 157 dikes along rivers in the Netherlands revealed that more and rarer bee species live ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 30, 2025
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Researchers at UBC Okanagan have created a mathematical model that captures something remarkable: how a bumblebee colony uses and manages its energy, and what that means for farmers, pollination and the future of sustainable ...
Ecology
Jul 29, 2025
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Tiny but mighty, honey bees play a crucial role in our ecosystems, pollinating various plants and crops. They also support the economy. These small producers contribute billions of dollars to Canada's agriculture industry, ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 15, 2025
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Ongoing research into the effect of environmental change on the buzzing of bees reveals that high temperatures and exposure to heavy metals reduces the frequency (and audible pitch) of non-flight wing vibrations, which could ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2025
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125
University of Oxford researchers have led a new study which found that hedgerows, small copses and even individual trees can significantly increase the number of butterflies in farmed landscapes. The findings have been published ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 7, 2025
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31
The majority of Earth's plant species, including our crop plants, rely on the services of animal pollinators in order to reproduce. Honey bees and other pollinating insects annually contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 7, 2025
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243
Humans may not be the only species that struggles to eat the right amounts of the ideal foods. A new study led by researchers at Penn State suggests that what bumble bees choose to eat may not line up with their ideal nutritional ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 3, 2025
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77
Vanilla flavoring is widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The primary source, Vanilla planifolia, however, is vulnerable to diseases, drought, and heat—stressors expected to become more frequent under climate ...
Ecology
Jul 3, 2025
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43
Flower strips, seed mixtures, and wild by design. We want to help bees and other vital pollinators, which are in decline all over the world. But which flowers are actually the best?
Ecology
Jun 30, 2025
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70
A widely-used agricultural chemical sprayed on fruits and vegetables to prevent fungal disease is also killing beneficial insects that play a critical role in pollination and wider ecosystems.
Ecology
Jun 30, 2025
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