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Symbiosis
Symbiosis is a relationship between organisms that benefits all participants. Each organism in a symbiotic relationship is rewarded, typically with food, protection or assistance with reproduction. Some kinds of flowering plants and insects have co-evolved to form symbiotic relationships to benefit their own species. While promoting their own interests, the insects in these relationships assist plants with reproduction, and the plants provide food for insects.
Ecology
A basic principle of ecology is the interdependence among species within a community. The organisms within an ecological community depend on each other for survival. Many insects eat the nectar produced by flowering plants. Flowering plants that are not pollinated by wind or water need insects to carry their pollen to other plants. Species that interact within a community can evolve together to form a mutually beneficial relationship.
Evolution
Flowering plants and insects within communities co-evolved: over time they acquired adaptations that help them to survive while also aiding the other species' survival. When flowering plants first appeared between 135 million and 125 million years ago, symbiotic relationships may have already existed between some insects and non-flowering plants. Around 100 million years ago, there was an increase in the number of species of both flowering plants and insects. The success of these groups of organisms is likely due to the symbiosis between plants and insects.
Pollination
For most flowering plants to reproduce, pollen must be carried from a flower on one plant to a flower on another plant. Only then can these plants produce seeds and new plants. According to the Morning Earth website, about 80 percent of flowering plants rely on animals to assist with pollination. This type of pollination occurs when pollen is transferred from a plant to an animal and is deposited on another plant of the same species. Some birds and bats are effective pollinators, but insects are responsible for the majority of pollination. Plants produce flowers with shapes, colors, scents that attract pollinating insects. These insects are specially equipped to pick up pollen while they collect nectar from the flower.
Benefits
Insects and flowering plants both benefit from symbiosis. Two basic needs of these organisms are met through symbiotic relationships: nutrition and reproduction. Many species of bees, flies, butterflies and moths rely on the nectar produced by flowers for food. The plants that produce these flowers cannot reproduce without the transfer of pollen by the insects. The survival of both the insects and the flowering plants is dependent on the success of their symbiosis. The benefits of symbiosis are only realized when both species provide a means to meet each other's needs.