Entry 5: 6/7/08

I will now post my second question on the topic Ecology and Nutrient Cycles in the Ecosystem which is as follows: What would happen if bees were extinct?

Bees are an excellent example of symbiosis known as mutualism. Mutualism is the association between unlike organisms which both parties benefit from. Bees cannot survive without flowers and the flowers' existence depends on the bees. For the bees, the pollen and nectar from many flowers is an important source of fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The nectar is a source of energy. Bees gradually switched from eating other insects to flowers as their source of food. With the passage of time, bees have become completely dependent on flowers as a food source. The flowers also stand to gain from this unusual partnership. When the bees travel from one flower to another to collect nectar, pollen clings onto them. The pollen is then transferred to another flower of the same species as the bees visit more flowers. This fertilises or pollinates the flower. The plants can then produce their own fruit and reproduce using the bees.

Because of this partnership, flowers can bear fruit and bees can make honey. both honey and fruits are an important part of our diet, and are sources of food for many other specis of animals.

There are many kinds of fruit crops that rely on the honey bee for its role in pollination. This large group includes almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blackberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, cucumbers, pears, raspberries, strawberries, and watermelons.

I shall continue in my next post in a while...

Sources:
http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/1998/bees.html

Glossary:
Pollination: The process by which plant pollen is transferred from the male reproductive organs to the female reproductive organs to form seeds. In flowering plants, pollen is transferred from the anther to the stigma, often by the wind or by insects. In cone-bearing plants, male cones release pollen that is usually borne by the wind to the ovules of female cones.