Pollen
Microscopic grains containing male reproductive cells of seed plants. Pollen must reach female plant parts for fertilization to occur.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 4 chapters:
"As the sun sets, the first visitors arrive: Mexican long-tongued bats, their faces dusted white with pollen, plunging into the flowers to drink nectar. They'll pollinate thousands of blooms in a single night. At dawn, hummingbirds take over, their iridescen..."
"...tworks may help coordinate flowering timing, fruiting, and senescence across forest stands. Synchronized flowering improves pollination success (more pollen available when all individuals flower together); synchronized fruiting overwhelms seed predators (mast seeding)."
"...ve nectar and bright colors to attract pollinators; pollinators evolve specialized mouthparts and sensory abilities to efficiently collect nectar and pollen. Both parties escalate traits that improve the mutualism. For organizations, co-evolution manifests as competitive dynamics where companies don'..."
"...move parasites and dead tissue from larger fish, obtaining food while providing health services. Flowering plants and pollinators exchange nectar and pollen for pollination services, a mutualism that has driven the diversification of both groups. Even our own bodies harbor trillions of gut bacteria in mut..."
Biological Context
Pollen can be carried by wind, water, insects, birds, or bats. Wind-pollinated plants produce abundant, lightweight pollen; animal-pollinated plants produce less but stickier pollen. Pollen allergies result from immune reactions to proteins in pollen grains.
Business Application
Ideas, innovations, and practices spread through organizations like pollen—they must reach receptive environments to generate new growth. Some spread broadly (wind-like mass communication), others through specific carriers (consultants, conferences).