Native Pollinators by Charles Bohmfalk
Pollination is the process whereby pollen is transferred from the male part of the plant or flower that creates the pollen to the part that receives the pollen and allows fertilization and sexual reproduction to occur in the carpel part of the flower. There are several ways that pollen is transferred so that reproduction can occur and seeds be produced.
Abiotic pollination occurs when the pollen transfer is accomplished without the aid or involvement of another organism or animal. The process is accomplished typically by the wind in most plants or by water currents in aquatic plants. Only about 10% of flowering plants are fertilized in this manner.
Biotic pollination occurs when a pollinator moves the pollen from the anther to the receptive part of the carpel or pistil. The most commonly known pollinator is the honeybee. Other pollinators include insects such as bumble bees, wasps, ants, beetles, moths and flies to name a few. Pollination is also performed by birds such as hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeyeaters, and other bird species and by bats such as the fruit bat.
Pollination can occur either by self-pollination or by cross-pollination.. Self-pollination occurs when the pollen from a flower pollinates itself or other flowers of the same variety. Cross-pollination occurs when pollen from another similar variety must be available to pollinate a particular plant.
Most fruit trees are self-pollinating or known as self-fruitful. Some fruit trees and shrubs require cross-pollination and require a different variety of the same fruit in close proximity for pollination. Examples of these are pears, walnuts, most plums and apples.
Pecans do not fit either category. They have both male and female flowers on the same tree, but do require cross-pollination from another pecan variety nearby. The pecan pollen is transferred from the male flowers to the female flowers of a nearby tree by the wind.
The diverse plant world has evolved with many methods of pollination up to and including some plants that rely on only one type of insect, bird or other natural phenomenon for their reproductive process. Also, timing can be very critical, however, the plants have evolved with and adaptation to reproduce with whatever method it takes.