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Why Are Pollinators Important? — Reading Comprehension

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Grades

Standards

MS-LS2-4
RI.6.3
RI.7.3
RI.8.8

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This passage explores the critical ecological role of pollinators in maintaining ecosystem stability and supporting human food systems, aligning with NGSS standard MS-LS2-4 on ecosystem dynamics. Written at an appropriate reading level for 7th-grade students, the content introduces various pollinator species including bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, and flies, explaining how each helps transfer pollen between flowering plants. Students learn that approximately 75% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators for reproduction, including many food crops that provide essential nutrients in the human diet. By connecting pollinator activity to food security and ecosystem services valued at over $200 billion annually, the passage helps students recognize the economic and ecological significance of these species. The content addresses current population declines in pollinators, identifying key threats including habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change, while also suggesting practical conservation actions students can take. Through examining this critical ecological relationship, students develop understanding of how disruptions to biological components of an ecosystem can affect multiple species and even human well-being. The passage reinforces the concept that seemingly small organisms can have outsized impacts on ecosystem stability and biodiversity maintenance.

CONTENT PREVIEW

"European honey bee extracts nectar" by John Severns (Severnjc) / Wikimedia Commons.

When you eat a juicy apple or tasty chocolate, thank a pollinator. Pollinators are animals that carry pollen from one plant to another. This helps plants make seeds and grow fruit. Without these helpers, our world would look very empty.

The most known pollinators are bees. But many other animals help too. Butterflies, moths, birds like hummingbirds, bats, and even some flies do this job. Each kind of pollinator helps certain plants. Flowers that open at night need bats and moths to visit them.

About 75% of all plants with flowers need animal pollinators. This includes many foods we love. Apples, berries, nuts, and coffee all need pollinators. In fact, one of every three bites of food we eat comes from plants that need pollinators! Without them, we would lose foods that give us key vitamins.

Pollinators also help wild plants grow. These plants make the air clean, keep soil in place, and give homes to wildlife. Many of our drugs come from plants that need pollinators too. All the work done by pollinators is worth more than $200 billion each year.

Sadly, many pollinator numbers are going down. They face trouble like habitat loss when we build where flowers once grew. Bug sprays used in gardens can hurt helpful pollinators too. Weather changes make it harder for some pollinators to find food when flowers bloom at odd times.

The good news is that you can help! You can plant flowers in your yard. You can stop using sprays that hurt bugs. You can put out small dishes of water. Even letting weeds like dandelions grow gives bees an early spring meal.

Fun fact: Some flowers have marks that people can't see, but bees can! These marks guide bees right to the flower's sweet nectar.

Which of these is NOT mentioned as a pollinator in the passage?

ButterfliesSquirrelsBatsMoths

According to the passage, what percentage of flowering plants need animal pollinators?

25%50%75%100%

How do pollinators help plants?

They give plants waterThey move pollen so plants can make seedsThey protect plants from diseasesThey provide shade for young plants

Which food mentioned in the passage needs pollinators to grow?

WheatPotatoesApplesRice

How much is pollinator work worth each year?

More than $200 billionAbout $50 billionLess than $10 billionExactly $175 billion

What does the passage suggest is happening to pollinator numbers?

They are growing quicklyThey are staying the sameThey are decreasingThey change depending on the season

Based on the passage, which action would NOT help pollinators?

Planting flowers native to your areaUsing more pesticides in your gardenProviding shallow water dishesAllowing dandelions to grow in your lawn

What can we learn from the "fun fact" in the passage?

Bees can see things humans cannot seeDandelions are the best flowers for beesFlowers bloom only during the dayHumans have better eyesight than all insects