www.lesswrong.com/posts/pGvyqAQw6yqTjpKf4/the-gift-we-give-to-tomorrow
1 correction found
Flower pollen is transmitted by bees
This overgeneralizes pollination. Many flowering plants are not pollinated by bees at all: some are pollinated by wind or water, and many others by animals such as birds, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, and bats.
Full reasoning
The sentence presents bee pollination as the general mechanism for flower pollen transfer, but that is not correct.
Authoritative USDA sources say:
- Many flowers are pollinated without animals at all. The U.S. Forest Service writes that “many flowers are pollinated without the aid of animals” and that most conifers and about 12% of the world’s flowering plants are wind-pollinated.
- The USDA National Agricultural Library says pollinators include bees, wasps, birds, butterflies, moths, flies, and even some small mammals, including bats, and that pollinators help about 80% of the world’s flowering plants reproduce — which means pollination is not just by bees.
So the exact claim “Flower pollen is transmitted by bees” is misleading as a general statement. Bees are important pollinators, but they are only one among several pollination routes and pollinator groups.
2 sources
- Wind and Water Pollination
Many flowers are pollinated without the aid of animals (insect, bird, or mammal)... Most conifers and about 12% of the world's flowering plants are wind-pollinated.
- Insects and Pollinators | National Agricultural Library
Pollinators include bees, wasps, birds, butterflies, moths, flies and even some small mammals, including bats. Pollinators help about 80% of the world's flowering plants to reproduce.