In order to reach the San Gerardo
Biological Station, one must hike an hour downhill. The hike down is not bad,
what’s worse is the hike back up hill. I am happy to report that the hike
uphill, while seemingly terrible when thinking about it, is not a bad hike. What’s
even more amazing is how every single plant has made it either down or up the
hill. Plants cannot move, so in order for animal pollinated plants to be
pollinated, their pollinators must go up or down the hill.
Pollinators
come in all shapes and sizes. Most people think of pollinators as bees or
birds, but there are many more pollinators. For example, bats often pollinate
flowers that open at night. Usually these flowers hang upside down on the tree
and smell rotten. Some flowers are pollinated by beetles or flies, those flowers
are usually small in size, depending on the pollinator. However, other flowers
are pollinated by monkeys and other large animals, although that is less
common.
In
order to learn who pollinates what type of flower, we paired up and went on
hikes to find flowers. Once we returned to the station, we had to decide who we
thought pollinated each flower. The most difficult part of the activity: there
was not a right or wrong answer. Some flowers we said were pollinated by butterflies,
but our professor said birds, and we were told that really either answer could
be right. Biologists like to place things in boxes, but really, nature has no
box. Plants try to attract pollinators with many different things, and do not
care whether it is pollinated by a flower or butterfly. (Unless the plant is
specialized to a pollinator.)
Pollinators
are important in ensuring the survival of plants, and declines in their
populations can cause declines in food supply. Their importance cannot be
overlooked. Overall, we should appreciate our pollinators for all their hard
work, for helping plants survive, and for traveling up and down the hill to
reach San Gerardo.
Bridget
Gross
College
of Wooster
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