BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

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P ollination is one of the most well-known relationships that can occur between two species. Most of us are told at a very early age that bee pollination of fl owers is a mutualism, and that mutualisms occur when two species "work together for a mutual benefi t." This feel-good, iconic image of nature permeates our impression of how this important interaction works, but, in doing so, it distorts the complexity of how and why numerous plant species interact with a diverse array of pollinators.To understand pollination in rangeland systems, we need to realize that our concept of mutualisms is usually anthropomorphized. That is, we take human ideas of cooperation and self-sacrifi ce to describe plants and animal pollinators interacting. Although both plants and pollinators do usually benefi t, pollination is not a purposefully unselfi sh or altruistic relationship. It is probably more accurate to think about pollination as a complex ecological negotiation for desired services. Flowering plants want to attract pollinators and "bribe" them into working for the plant. Meanwhile, numerous potential pollinators try to acquire food and other resources from plants however they can. This alternative viewpoint may help us better understand why plants and pollinators bother interacting with each other and how exactly that interaction works.In this article we present a brief overview of pollination by using examples and species relevant to rangelands. Our primary goal in providing this background information is to display some of the fascinating richness of plant-pollinator interactions. We hope that doing so will prepare and encourage you to read the subsequent articles to learn about the challenges facing pollinators in rangelands and what we can do about them. In this article we fi rst touch on how plants reproduce and why they use animals to help them. Next, we look at the rewards plants provide pollinators. We then briefl y survey the diverse assemblage of animal pollinators found in rangeland habitats. We conclude with a discussion about the nature of pollination interactions, including some complicated associations. Plant Reproduction-Why Do Plants Pay for Service? How Plants Reproduce and the Benefi ts of Pollination by AnimalsNew plants are created in a variety of different ways. Although plants can produce new individuals asexually, sexual reproduction is required for plants to combine genetic information. For this to occur, pollen from the male part of a plant must come in contact with the female part of a plant of the same species.The question then is how the plant moves that pollen. For many, the solution is to bribe an animal. Approximately three-quarters of all existing fl owering plants engage in some level of plant-pollinator interaction.1 Plant-pollinator interactions have traditionally been underappreciated in rangelands because the dominant species in these ecosystems are typically wind-pollinated (e.g., plants in the Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Chenopodeaceae, Polygonaceae). Other plants do not move pollen much ...

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