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.
A few months ago, a friend of mine told me that his father-in-law had been rushed to the hospital after eating some wild honey brought back from the hills of Nepal.
Ecology
Aug 27, 2026
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Bees are the most important pollinators of flowering plants, and approximately 10% of flowering plants are functionally specialized for buzz pollination. Buzz pollination is a mechanism in which pollen can be extracted from ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 26, 2026
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With no tall trees reaching to the sky, Alaska's North Slope tundra can look desolate—especially to outsiders from the Lower 48 who are used to in-your-face greenery.
Environment
Aug 25, 2026
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A study conducted in the Swiss Alps by the University of Lausanne and the University of Milan shows that glacier retreat and changing vegetation could influence the spread of certain pathogens between honeybees and wild bees.
Plants & Animals
Aug 24, 2026
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Letting late-summer weeds grow could help honeybees when they find it most challenging to gather nectar, according to new research published in the journal, Functional Ecology.
Plants & Animals
Aug 20, 2026
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Although climate change is already having a negative impact on crops, declines in yields have so far been offset by technological advances in agriculture. For field crops that do not rely on pollinators, however, this trend ...
Ecology
Aug 19, 2026
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You've probably seen it before: A native garden starts out lush and intentional, then slowly unravels. A meadow is overtaken by weeds. Native grasses are cut down to sad little stumps. A pollinator garden somehow loses its ...
Ecology
Aug 17, 2026
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Bees may be relying on your lawn for their next meal, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.
Plants & Animals
Aug 17, 2026
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A recent study by MSU entomologists Jen Roedel, Karma Thomas and Zsofia Szendrei found that urban growers' use of pollinator management practices is driven more by access to educational resources, labor and other farming ...
Ecology
Aug 7, 2026
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13
Imagine spotting a butterfly species in your garden that you have never seen before. You might take a photo and upload it to a citizen science app or tell a local nature group about your new encounter. It feels like a small ...
Ecology
Aug 5, 2026
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