Pollination is understood as a process that involves the transport of pollen from the stamens to the stigma of the flower, so that the ovum is fertilized and seeds and fruits are produced. Seeds are the natural structures that contain the genetic information for a new plant.
Pollination can be originated in various ways and some plants even self-pollinate. Those factors or elements that help pollinate are called vectors, such as wind, water, and animals.
About 80 percent of all flowering plants are pollinated by animals, including insects like bees and butterflies, and vertebrates like hummingbirds and bats.
About 500 species of flowers around the world depend on bats to pollinate.
Many bats are important pollinators, mainly in the tropical and desert climate regions.
When a bat perches to eat, the pollen becomes trapped in its fur, and as it travels through various parts of its range they transport the grains from flower to flower.
When a bat perches to eat, the pollen becomes trapped in its fur, and as it travels through various parts of its range they transport the grains from flower to flower.
Scientists have concluded that these flowers developed their characteristics precisely to attract animals that help them to be pollinated. Some, instead of a fragrant odor, expel an aroma with a large amount of sulfur, not pleasant for human beings. The bats are then guided by smell to find them, but also by the sense of sight.
Pollination and seed dispersal, necessary for the generation of new plants, are produced from feeding these flying mammals and other animal species. Flower pollination is one of nature's most important ecological functions.
Without the help of bats, many plant species would be reduced and perhaps extinct, affecting other living things that depend on them. Additionally, it allows the growth of new trees in a felled site.
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