Question

In entomophily, pollinating agents are
A. Insects
B. Bats
C. Birds
D. Ants

Answer 1

Pollination may be biotic or abiotic. Biotic pollination depends on living pollinators to move pollen from one flower to another. Abiotic pollination relies on wind, water and rain.

Complete answer:
Entomophily is a type of pollination where insects act as pollinating agents and distribute the pollen of plants and flowering plants. These types of flowers are brightly coloured, with conspicuous and a scent that mimics insect pheromones.

Many insects are pollinators, particularly bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, ants and beetles. The pollen grains of insect pollinated plants are larger than the pollen of wind-pollinated plants, which are required to be produced in larger quantities as many of them are wasted.

Butterflies and moths have hairy bodies and long proboscides which probe deep into tubular flowers. Butterflies fly by day and are particularly interested in pink, mauve and purple flowers. The flowers are often large and scented, and also the stamens are so-positioned that pollen is deposited on the insects while they prey on the nectar. Moths are nocturnal and get attracted to night-blooming plants. The flowers of those are often tubular, pale in color and fragrant. Hawkmoths tend to go to larger flowers and hover as they feed; they transfer pollen by means of the proboscis.

Inflorescences pollinated by beetles are flat with open corollas or small flowers clustered, projecting anthers that shed pollen. The flowers are often green or pale-colored, and heavily scented, often with fruity or spicy aromas, but sometimes with odors of decaying organic matter.

Flowers pollinated by bees and wasps vary in shape, color and size. Yellow or blue plants are often visited, and flowers may have ultra-violet nectar guides, that help the insect to seek out the nectar. Some flowers, like sage or pea, have lower lips which only open when sufficiently heavy insects, like bees, land on them. With the lip depressed, the anthers may bow all the way down to deposit pollen on the insect's back. Since bees take care of their brood, they collect more food and so are important pollinators.

Therefore, the correct option is A, insects.

Note: Wind pollination is a reproductive strategy adopted by grasses, sedges, rushes and catkin-bearing plants. Other flowering plants are mostly pollinated by insects. Some plants that are wind pollinated have vestigial nectaries, and other plants like common heather that are regularly pollinated by insects, produce clouds of pollen and a few wind pollination is inevitable. Some showy, colourful, fragrant flowers like sunflowers, orchids are insect pollinated. The sole entomophilous plants that aren't seed plants are the dung-mosses of the family Solanaceae.