Pollinators and Pollination: Nature and Society

by Jeff Ollerton

'Fascinating, entertaining, and thought-provoking.' - Professor Dave Goulson, author of A Sting in the Tale, Bee Quest, A Buzz in the Meadow and The Garden Jungle A unique and personal insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, their relationships with flowers, and their conservation in a rapidly changing world. The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a fundamentally important ecological function that supports both the natural world and human society. Without pollinators to facilitate the sexual reproduction of plants, the world would be a biologically poorer place in which to live, there would be an impact on food security, and human health would suffer. Written by one of the world's leading pollination ecologists, this book provides an introduction to what pollinators are, how their interactions with flowers have evolved, and the fundamental ecology of these relationships. It explores the pollination of wild and agricultural plants in a variety of habitats and contexts, including urban, rural and agricultural environments. The author also provides practical advice on how individuals and organisations can study, and support, pollinators. As well as covering the natural history of pollinators and flowers, the author discusses their cultural importance, and the ways in which pollinator conservation has been portrayed from a political perspective. The book draws on field work experiences in South America, Africa, Australia, the Canary Islands and the UK. For over 30 years the author has spent his career researching how plants and pollinators evolve relationships, how these interactions function ecologically, their importance for society, and how we can conserve them in a rapidly changing world. This book offers a unique and personal insight into the science of pollinators and pollination, aimed at anyone who is interested in understanding these fascinating and crucial ecological interactions.

Genres: Ecology

289 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2021

About the author

Over the past 30 years Jeff has developed an international reputation in the field of biodiversity and nature conservation, and is one of the world's leading pollination ecologists. He is currently an independent consulting scientist and writer, and is Visiting Professor at the University of Northampton, where he formerly worked for 25 years. He has also held I have held visiting academic positions at UNICAMP (Brazil) and the University of New South Wales (Australia).

As well as writing books, Jeff has published over 120 research papers and articles. He is in demand as an advisor for governments, media, and charities, and frequently gives talks on his specialisms to a wide range of audiences.

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are honeybees the only pollinators? Are honeybees the only bees? Are pollinators, or honeybees, in decline? How many crops need pollinators anyway? How do you know what pollinators are important, and why? How do you help pollinators in your garden or conservation project? This book provides answers (as much as is possible) to these and many other questions.

Pollinators have become a hot topic lately and this book is both up to date scientifically (its author is a leading academic pollination ecologist) and yet also I think it's quite accessible and informative to the non-scientist (disclaimer: I studied pollination ecology for my BSc Honours research project, so my judgement of what's accessible is not perfect). The book is comprehensive and in-depth enough to be of interest to someone like me with a little academic experience, and at the same time concise enough to cover the key discussions without being a massive quarto textbook. It does have a concluding section on further resources for those wanting to look in more detail.

It's also written with many and diverse personal anecdotes and insights from the author's professional career, garden, and even childhood which liven the text up and I think give it that broader appeal that ties it in with our own lived experience and culture. I think inquisitive home gardeners will appreciate it. I am reminded of an essay by Carl Sagan (I forget which, if you know it can you leave a comment?), lamenting that we live in an unscientific culture and society, and speculating about a future where great art might describe scientific astrophysics rather than religious metaphysics (or something like that). It struck me that the germs of a truly scientific future society are probably present in the history of biology and the study of nature, something which (partly through agriculture) has been at the core of human culture and society and identity for a long time. This book certainly is within that historical tradition and an excellent exemplar of it (consider the John Clare poem at the beginning of chapter 10 if you are skeptical).

It's also a book which is very dependent on England and Europe for its anecdotes and examples. This is natural not just because of the author's location and where he's carried out his work but also the relatively large amount of pollination research in that part of the world, certainly compared to a relatively unknown continent like Australia, where I am. This isn't a problem scientifically, but for the non-scientific reader in Australia it may unconsciously reinforce the cultural cringe mentality where plants (and sometimes pollinators) from other places are the default setting for so many, whether it's the garden department at your local chain hardware store, or the well-meaning efforts of many permaculturists to introduce well known old-world plants and patterns instead of trying to understand the continent we live in. I'm very interested in making that effort to gain new understanding of this continent, including in our native pollinators and their ecological networks. This book gives a great orientation toward participating in that effort.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I review this, I will note that Jeff was my 3rd year undergrad dissertation supervisor 15 long years ago...and I was so looking forward to being able to turn the tables! Annoyingly though, there isn't much I can criticize in this book (and believe me, I really looked!), only the odd typo, dammit.

In all seriousness, this is a great read regardless of your level of interest and knowledge about pollinators and the process of pollination as Ollerton takes you through the important and main points, even covering the basics of what makes up a flower and what actually constitutes pollination (I did not realise there was such a specific definition). Each chapter is written in an easy to read and flowing manner, with anecdotes and commentary from the author to break up the science, avoiding the trap of becoming a typical, dense, dry textbook. Ollerton even goes as far as highlighting his own mistakes and earlier assumptions and correcting them, something that needs to be done much more often in the scientific world in my opinion (we are only human after all, and failure is how we learn). There were even some chuckle out loud moments as Ollerton mentions some of his more colourful experiences as a scientist and educator, particularly his response to a fundamentalist creationist when asked about certain horticultural flowers.

This may not cover every aspect of pollinators and pollination in detail (not sure it would be possible to do that), every aspect is covered so the reader can understand the processes, plants, and animals involved, and the importance of these for both the natural and the human world. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on pollinator politics as environmental politics is something I have to work with (around?) as part of my work so it was interesting to get other insights on this. Put simply, whether you have years of scientific experience or are completely new to the whole thing but have been stung (sorry) by the desire to find out more, then this is for you. It is easy to read, easy to follow, and pulls together so much information and research that it makes for a great starting point to find out more. This can even be used to develop your own outdoor space, or to help local wildlife groups or local councils provide more for pollinators (there are chapters for each of these), which is not all that common for such texts but makes sense when you think about it. Overall, this is a great read for those with an interest and a brilliant reference and starting point for those delving deeper into the science (or writing a systematic review on pollinators).

[Harve Lemelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read of pollinators, plants and pollination provided by a researcher, educator, and activist. This knowledgeable account provides an in-depth overview of insect pollinators and the challenges they face in the anthropocene. The book also challenges certain meta-narratives that have become accepted with little to no critical overview and doesn't shy away from honeybee vs. indigenous pollinator debate. Easy to read, insightful, thoughtful and delightful. A must for those interested in insect pollinators and pollination in general.