POLLINATOR GLOSSARY

Below, you will find a list of some of the words introduced throughout the Pollinators section of the Youth Portal. These are the words that you may not have come across before, or may have heard but not known exactly what they mean. Refer back to this anytime you need, and let us know if there is a word missing from the list below.

Agriculture: The science or practice of farming.

Co-evolution: The influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution. This is evidence of speciation and adaptation, and is the process that causes the biological diversity we see in nature.

Cross pollination: Pollination (see pollination) of a flower with pollen (see pollen) from a different flower.

Egg: Haploid female gamete (reproductive cell) located within the ovary (see ovary) of a flowering plant.

Family: One of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks, classified between order and genus.

Fertilization: The process of combining the male gamete (see pollen) with the female gamete (see egg).

Food system: Involves all the processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population. It takes into account everything that happens to a certain piece of food before it is consumed.

Nectar: A sugary fluid secreted by plants and consumed by some animals for energy.

Ovary: Enlarged lower part of the pistil (see pistil), containing the eggs (see egg) of the plant. After fertilization (see fertilization) the ovary will mature into a fruit.

Perfect flower: A flower in which both male and female reproductive structures (see stamen and pistil) are present. 

Pistil: The female reproductive part of a flower, consisting of the ovary at the base (see ovary), the middle part, called the style, and the stigma at the tip (see stigma)

Pollen: Substance consisting of pollen grains, which produce male gametes (reproductive cells) and is consumed by some animals for food.

Pollination: The act of transferring pollen (see pollen) from the male part of the flower (see stamen) to the female part (see stigma). Pollination can occur by pollinators (see pollinators), wind, water, or hand. Some plants are self-pollinating (see self-pollination)

Pollinator: Anything that helps in achieving pollination (see pollination)

Self-pollination: When pollen (see pollen) from a plant arrives at the stigma (see stigma) of the same plant.

Species: One of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks, classified lower than genus and is the basic unit of classification.

Stamen: The male reproductive part of a flower, consisting of an anther that contains pollen (see pollen)

Stigma: The head of the pistil (see pistil) that is the part of the flower that receives pollen (see pollen)

Yield: Measurement of the amount of a particular crop harvested.