Pollination: A Crucial Ecosystem Service — Passage and Quiz

Pollination is not just about flowers multiplying; it's the lifeblood of our ecosystems. Over 75% of the world's food crops depend on insect pollination, providing us with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even chocolate!  Pollination is much more than just a process for plants to reproduce. It is a crucial ecosystem service that provides us with many benefits, including:

• Food security: Many of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts that we eat rely on pollinators for their production. In fact,over 75% of the world's food crops require insect pollination.
• Biodiversity: Pollination helps to maintain the diversity of plant life. As different pollinators visit different types of flowers, they promote cross-pollination, which leads to the genetic diversity of plants.
• Healthy ecosystems: Pollinators play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by ensuring the reproduction of flowering plants. These plants provide food and habitat for many other organisms, including birds, mammals,and insects.