Who else is at the party?
So far, we have the following guests on our invited list: flowers, pollinators, and of course, ourselves! But we cannot forget all of the other important members of our ecosystem that help create healthy systems of pollination. We can consider all of these guests “fellow gardeners.”25
Plants
We have explicitly discussed flowers, but they are not the only plants we should consider when discussing pollination with our students. I am framing our learning by using the garden as an example of a pollination system. Within the garden, there are flowering plants, as well as others that we may want to highlight. Trees give important shade, and attract community members like birds. Grasses attract insects and can help provide important niches in an ecosystem for these tiny organisms. Fungi and trees also provide nutrient networks for ecosystems, sharing and exchanging nutrients between their root systems. A mindful educator is also considering here native versus nonnative species—should there be any plants we leave out of our party because they could be damaging to the local ecosystem?
Other Animals
Pollinators have been discussed in detail above, but there are many other animals that play a role in the health of pollination systems. Animals act as important seed dispersers, pooping out seeds that they have digested from plants and fruits. They also help mitigate pests in the garden. For example, ladybugs eat aphids that can destroy vegetation in gardens from their pesky munching. In terms of typical garden pests that we know damage plants, think about how we can invite the “good” bugs in—these pest-destroyers can vastly outnumber pests when they are given room to thrive and invited to the space. Earthworms help keep soil healthy by processing it and providing nutrients. Sometimes animals like deer are the pests that humans see in the garden, eating food being grown for human consumption. In planning my garden, I’m wondering if we should plan a way to include those local eaters, or will we exclude them from the garden with structures. As I learn more this year about what local eaters visit our school garden, I should have a better answer to that question!
Soil
Healthy soil is vital for a thriving pollination system. Fungi, innumerable bacteria, and other microbes occupy soil, sharing the space to help plants grow. An estimated 10 trillion bacteria can live in the top six inches of a square meter of well-tended garden soil.26 These members help to aerate the ground, cycle nutrients, and mix soil’s mineral and organic parts together. They are critical to helping balance food webs, recycling energy and nutrients to keep the ecosystem in balance. For example, rhizobial bacteria can take nitrogen gas from the air and convert it into a form of nitrogen that plants can use. Bacteria such as these provide nutrients that plants would not be able to use otherwise; they also help control harmful bacteria. Mycorrhizae fungi form on the outside surfaces of roots, penetrating between the root cells without damaging them to help with nutrient and water exchange. Fungi are important decomposers in the garden as well. Here it is also important to consider what we are adding to soil to help with nutrient exchange, such as fertilizers, pesticides, mulch or other additives like plant food. There are many ways to amend soil that is lacking in nutrients, density, or richness. For example, adding earthworms to tunnel in topsoil helps with drainage and nutrients from their castings. Organic matter like compost helps create humus where vegetable matter decomposes—think about all the tomatoes that drop in a garden! Keeping pesticides out of the garden is important for ecosystem health as well. There is increasing evidence of the damage that pesticides cause to human, animal, and environmental health. Educating students about pesticide use in soil and on plants can help them to be more mindful consumers and eaters. It is important for students to understand that soil is not just dirt, and it needs our care as well!
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