Threats to an ecosystem service: pressures on pollinators

doi:10.1890/120126

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Threats to an ecosystem service: pressures on pollinators

Journal Article•DOI•

Threats to an ecosystem service: pressures on pollinators

01 Jun 2013-Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (Ecological Society of America)-Vol. 11, Iss: 5, pp 251-259

TL;DR: It is argued that multiple anthropogenic pressures – including land-use intensification, climate change, and the spread of alien species and diseases – are primarily responsible for insect-pollinator declines.

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Abstract: Insect pollinators of crops and wild plants are under threat globally and their decline or loss could have profound economic and environmental consequences. Here, we argue that multiple anthropogenic pressures – including land-use intensification, climate change, and the spread of alien species and diseases – are primarily responsible for insect-pollinator declines. We show that a complex interplay between pressures (eg lack of food sources, diseases, and pesticides) and biological processes (eg species dispersal and interactions) at a range of scales (from genes to ecosystems) underpins the general decline in insect-pollinator populations. Interdisciplinary research on the nature and impacts of these interactions will be needed if human food security and ecosystem function are to be preserved. We highlight key areas that require research focus and outline some practical steps to alleviate the pressures on pollinators and the pollination services they deliver to wild and crop plants.

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Journal Article•DOI•

Bee declines driven by combined stress from parasites, pesticides, and lack of flowers

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Dave Goulson¹, Elizabeth Nicholls¹, Cristina Botías¹, Ellen L. Rotheray¹•Institutions (1)

University of Sussex¹

27 Mar 2015-Science

TL;DR: The stresses bees are experiencing from climate change, infectious diseases, and insecticides are reviewed, with concern that the authors may be nearing a “pollination crisis” in which crop yields begin to fall.

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Abstract: Bees are subject to numerous pressures in the modern world. The abundance and diversity of flowers has declined, bees are chronically exposed to cocktails of agrochemicals, and they are simultaneously exposed to novel parasites accidentally spread by humans. Climate change is likely to exacerbate these problems in the future. Stressors do not act in isolation; for example pesticide exposure can impair both detoxification mechanisms and immune responses, rendering bees more susceptible to parasites. It seems certain that chronic exposure to multiple, interacting stressors is driving honey bee colony losses and declines of wild pollinators, but such interactions are not addressed by current regulatory procedures and studying these interactions experimentally poses a major challenge. In the meantime, taking steps to reduce stress on bees would seem prudent; incorporating flower-rich habitat into farmland, reducing pesticide use through adopting more sustainable farming methods, and enforcing effective quarantine measures on bee movements are all practical measures that should be adopted. Effective monitoring of wild pollinator populations is urgently needed to inform management strategies into the future.

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2,526 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being

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Simon G. Potts¹, Vera Lúcia Imperatriz-Fonseca, Hien T. Ngo, Marcelo A. Aizen², Jacobus C. Biesmeijer³, Jacobus C. Biesmeijer⁴, Tom D. Breeze¹, Lynn V. Dicks⁵, Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi⁶, Rosemary Hill⁷, Josef Settele⁸, Adam J. Vanbergen - Show less +8 more•Institutions (8)

University of Reading¹, National University of Comahue², Naturalis³, University of Amsterdam⁴, University of East Anglia⁵, National University of Río Negro⁶, James Cook University⁷, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ⁸

08 Dec 2016-Nature

TL;DR: There are well-documented declines in some wild and managed pollinators in several regions of the world, however, many effective policy and management responses can be implemented to safeguard pollinators and sustain pollination services.

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Abstract: Wild and managed pollinators provide a wide range of benefits to society in terms of contributions to food security, farmer and beekeeper livelihoods, social and cultural values, as well as the maintenance of wider biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Pollinators face numerous threats, including changes in land-use and management intensity, climate change, pesticides and genetically modified crops, pollinator management and pathogens, and invasive alien species. There are well-documented declines in some wild and managed pollinators in several regions of the world. However, many effective policy and management responses can be implemented to safeguard pollinators and sustain pollination services.

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1,121 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The broad footprint of climate change from genes to biomes to people

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Brett R. Scheffers¹, Luc De Meester², Tom C. L. Bridge³, Tom C. L. Bridge⁴, Ary A. Hoffmann⁵, John M. Pandolfi⁶, Richard T. Corlett⁷, Stuart H. M. Butchart⁸, Stuart H. M. Butchart⁹, Paul Pearce-Kelly¹⁰, Kit M. Kovacs¹¹, David Dudgeon¹², Michela Pacifici¹³, Carlo Rondinini¹³, Wendy Foden¹⁴, Tara G. Martin¹⁵, Camilo Mora¹⁶, David Bickford¹⁷, James E. M. Watson⁶, James E. M. Watson¹⁸ - Show less +16 more•Institutions (18)

University of Florida¹, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven², Queensland Museum³, James Cook University⁴, University of Melbourne⁵, University of Queensland⁶, Chinese Academy of Sciences⁷, BirdLife International⁸, University of Cambridge⁹, Zoological Society of London¹⁰, Norwegian Polar Institute¹¹, University of Hong Kong¹², Sapienza University of Rome¹³, Stellenbosch University¹⁴, University of British Columbia¹⁵, University of Hawaii¹⁶, National University of Singapore¹⁷, Wildlife Conservation Society¹⁸

11 Nov 2016-Science

TL;DR: The full range and scale of climate change effects on global biodiversity that have been observed in natural systems are described, and a set of core ecological processes that underpin ecosystem functioning and support services to people are identified.

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Abstract: Most ecological processes now show responses to anthropogenic climate change. In terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, species are changing genetically, physiologically, morphologically, and phenologically and are shifting their distributions, which affects food webs and results in new interactions. Disruptions scale from the gene to the ecosystem and have documented consequences for people, including unpredictable fisheries and crop yields, loss of genetic diversity in wild crop varieties, and increasing impacts of pests and diseases. In addition to the more easily observed changes, such as shifts in flowering phenology, we argue that many hidden dynamics, such as genetic changes, are also taking place. Understanding shifts in ecological processes can guide human adaptation strategies. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases, climate action and policy must therefore focus equally on strategies that safeguard biodiversity and ecosystems.

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815 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Insect Declines in the Anthropocene

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David L. Wagner¹•Institutions (1)

University of Connecticut¹

10 Jan 2020-Annual Review of Entomology

TL;DR: Because the geographic extent and magnitude of insect declines are largely unknown, there is an urgent need for monitoring efforts, especially across ecological gradients, which will help to identify important causal factors in declines.

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Abstract: Insect declines are being reported worldwide for flying, ground, and aquatic lineages. Most reports come from western and northern Europe, where the insect fauna is well-studied and there are consi...

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607 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Gut microbial communities of social bees

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Waldan K. Kwong¹, Nancy A. Moran¹•Institutions (1)

University of Texas at Austin¹

01 Jun 2016-Nature Reviews Microbiology

TL;DR: The role of the microbiota in bee health and its potential as a model for studying the ecology and evolution of gut symbionts are drawn attention.

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Abstract: The gut microbiota can have profound effects on hosts, but the study of these relationships in humans is challenging. The specialized gut microbial community of honey bees is similar to the mammalian microbiota, as both are mostly composed of host-adapted, facultatively anaerobic and microaerophilic bacteria. However, the microbial community of the bee gut is far simpler than the mammalian microbiota, being dominated by only nine bacterial species clusters that are specific to bees and that are transmitted through social interactions between individuals. Recent developments, which include the discovery of extensive strain-level variation, evidence of protective and nutritional functions, and reports of eco-physiological or disease-associated perturbations to the microbial community, have drawn attention to the role of the microbiota in bee health and its potential as a model for studying the ecology and evolution of gut symbionts.

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556 citations

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Journal Article•DOI•

Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops

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Alexandra-Maria Klein¹, Bernard E. Vaissière², James H. Cane³, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter, Saul A. Cunningham⁴, Claire Kremen⁵, Teja Tscharntke - Show less +3 more•Institutions (5)

University of Göttingen¹, Institut national de la recherche agronomique², Agricultural Research Service³, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation⁴, University of California, Berkeley⁵

07 Feb 2007-Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

TL;DR: It is found that fruit, vegetable or seed production from 87 of the leading global food crops is dependent upon animal pollination, while 28 crops do not rely upon animalPollination, however, global production volumes give a contrasting perspective.

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Abstract: The extent of our reliance on animal pollination for world crop production for human food has not previously been evaluated and the previous estimates for countries or continents have seldom used primary data. In this review, we expand the previous estimates using novel primary data from 200 countries and found that fruit, vegetable or seed production from 87 of the leading global food crops is dependent upon animal pollination, while 28 crops do not rely upon animal pollination. However, global production volumes give a contrasting perspective, since 60% of global production comes from crops that do not depend on animal pollination, 35% from crops that depend on pollinators, and 5% are unevaluated. Using all crops traded on the world market and setting aside crops that are solely passively self-pollinated, wind-pollinated or parthenocarpic, we then evaluated the level of dependence on animal-mediated pollination for crops that are directly consumed by humans. We found that pollinators are essential for 13 crops, production is highly pollinator dependent for 30, moderately for 27, slightly for 21, unimportant for 7, and is of unknown significance for the remaining 9. We further evaluated whether local and landscape-wide management for natural pollination services could help to sustain crop diversity and production. Case studies for nine crops on four continents revealed that agricultural intensification jeopardizes wild bee communities and their stabilizing effect on pollination services at the landscape scale.

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4,830 citations

"Threats to an ecosystem service: pr..." refers background in this paper

...Pollinators provide a crucial ecosystem service by improving or stabilizing yields of approximately 75% of crop-plant species globally (Klein et al. 2007)....
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...Although wind-pollinated or largely self-pollinated staple crops supply the vast majority of human foods by volume, insect-pollinated crops contribute vital micronutrients (eg vitamins, folic acid) and dietary variety (Free 1993; Klein et al. 2007; Eilers et al. 2011)....
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...…a perspective on practical steps to conserve insect pollinators and their associated ecosystem services. n Implications of pollinator losses Pollinators provide a crucial ecosystem service by improving or stabilizing yields of approximately 75% of crop-plant species globally (Klein et al. 2007)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Global pollinator declines: trends, impacts and drivers.

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Simon G. Potts¹, Jacobus C. Biesmeijer², Claire Kremen³, Peter J. Neumann, Oliver Schweiger⁴, William E. Kunin² - Show less +2 more•Institutions (4)

University of Reading¹, University of Leeds², University of California, Berkeley³, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ⁴

01 Jun 2010-Trends in Ecology and Evolution

TL;DR: The nature and extent of reported declines, and the potential drivers of pollinator loss are described, including habitat loss and fragmentation, agrochemicals, pathogens, alien species, climate change and the interactions between them are reviewed.

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Abstract: Pollinators are a key component of global biodiversity, providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. There is clear evidence of recent declines in both wild and domesticated pollinators, and parallel declines in the plants that rely upon them. Here we describe the nature and extent of reported declines, and review the potential drivers of pollinator loss, including habitat loss and fragmentation, agrochemicals, pathogens, alien species, climate change and the interactions between them. Pollinator declines can result in loss of pollination services which have important negative ecological and economic impacts that could significantly affect the maintenance of wild plant diversity, wider ecosystem stability, crop production, food security and human welfare.

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4,608 citations

"Threats to an ecosystem service: pr..." refers background in this paper

...• There have been declines throughout Europe of wild bee (Biesmeijer et al. 2006) and hoverfly (Keil et al. 2011) species richness • Extinctions, reduced abundance, and range contractions of butterfly (Warren et al. 2001; Forister et al. 2010) and bumblebee (Williams and Osborne 2009; Bommarco et al. 2011; Cameron et al. 2011) species have occurred across the Northern Hemisphere • Wild, feral, and managed honey bees have declined over the past few decades in Europe and North America (Potts et al. 2010b; vanEngelsdorp et al. 2011), although managed honey bees have increased elsewhere (Aizen and Harder 2009) • Threats in tropical regions are real and pressing, but data on insect pollinator declines are sparse (Aizen and Feinsinger 1994; Freitas et al. 2009) Why are pollinator declines hard to prove?...
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...Insect pollinators face growing pressure from the effects of intensified land use, climate change, alien species, and the spread of pests and pathogens (Kearns et al. 1998; Potts et al. 2010a); this has serious implications for human food security and health, and ecosystem function....
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...North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) http://pollinator.org/nappc/mission.htm North America (includes international partners) NAPPC is a private-public collaborative body that works to promote and protect pollinators; it is coordinated by the Pollinator Partnership, a non-profit organization; NAPPC partners are associated with government, NGOs, universities, and international initiatives (1) Raise public awareness and education and promote constructive dialogue about pollinators’ importance to agriculture, ecosystem health, and food supplies; (2) Encourage collaborative, working partnerships among participants and with federal, state, and local government entities and strengthen the network of associated organizations working on behalf of pollinators; (3) Promote conservation, protection, and restoration of pollinator habitat; (4) Document and support scientific, economic, and policy research – creating the first international data bank (library) of pollinator information....
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...…have occurred across the Northern Hemisphere • Wild, feral, and managed honey bees have declined over the past few decades in Europe and North America (Potts et al. 2010b; vanEngelsdorp et al. 2011), although managed honey bees have increased elsewhere (Aizen and Harder 2009) • Threats in…...
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...Patterns of widespread decline in North American bumble bees....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Parallel Declines in Pollinators and Insect-Pollinated Plants in Britain and the Netherlands

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Jacobus C. Biesmeijer¹, Stuart P. M. Roberts², Menno Reemer³, Ralf Ohlemüller⁴, Michael Edwards, T.M.J. Peeters⁵, T.M.J. Peeters³, A. P. Schaffers⁶, Simon G. Potts², R.M.J.C. Kleukers³, Chris D. Thomas⁴, Josef Settele, William E. Kunin¹ - Show less +9 more•Institutions (6)

University of Leeds¹, University of Reading², National Museum of Natural History³, University of York⁴, Radboud University Nijmegen⁵, Wageningen University and Research Centre⁶

21 Jul 2006-Science

TL;DR: Evidence of declines (pre-versus post-1980) in local bee diversity in Britain and the Netherlands is found and a causal connection between local extinctions of functionally linked plant and pollinator species is strongly suggested.

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Abstract: Despite widespread concern about declines in pollination services, little is known about the patterns of change in most pollinator assemblages. By studying bee and hoverfly assemblages in Britain and the Netherlands, we found evidence of declines (pre-versus post-1980) in local bee diversity in both countries; however, divergent trends were observed in hoverflies. Depending on the assemblage and location, pollinator declines were most frequent in habitat and flower specialists, in univoltine species, and/or in nonmigrants. In conjunction with this evidence, outcrossing plant species that are reliant on the declining pollinators have themselves declined relative to other plant species. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest a causal connection between local extinctions of functionally linked plant and pollinator species.

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2,616 citations

"Threats to an ecosystem service: pr..." refers background in this paper

...(2) Nutrition and pathogens Global land-use changes have led to declining diversity and abundance of flowering plants and the foods they provide to pollinators (Biesmeijer et al. 2006; Kleijn and Raemakers 2008)....
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...Global land-use changes have led to declining diversity and abundance of flowering plants and the foods they provide to pollinators (Biesmeijer et al. 2006; Kleijn and Raemakers 2008)....
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...• There have been declines throughout Europe of wild bee (Biesmeijer et al. 2006) and hoverfly (Keil et al....
[...]
...• There have been declines throughout Europe of wild bee (Biesmeijer et al. 2006) and hoverfly (Keil et al. 2011) species richness • Extinctions, reduced abundance, and range contractions of butterfly (Warren et al. 2001; Forister et al. 2010) and bumblebee (Williams and Osborne 2009; Bommarco et…...
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...Overall, the more specialized pollinator species tend to be most vulnerable to habitat change (Biesmeijer et al. 2006; Williams and Osborne 2009)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals

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Jeff Ollerton¹, Rachael Winfree¹, Sam Tarrant², Sam Tarrant¹•Institutions (2)

University of Northampton¹, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds²

01 Mar 2011-Oikos

TL;DR: The global number and proportion of animal pollinated angiosperms is estimated as 308 006, which is 87.5% of the estimated species-level diversity of fl owering plants.

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Abstract: It is clear that the majority of fl owering plants are pollinated by insects and other animals, with a minority utilising abiotic pollen vectors, mainly wind. However there is no accurate published calculation of the proportion of the ca 352 000 species of angiosperms that interact with pollinators. Widely cited fi gures range from 67% to 96% but these have not been based on fi rm data. We estimated the number and proportion of fl owering plants that are pollinated by animals using published and unpublished community-level surveys of plant pollination systems that recorded whether each species present was pollinated by animals or wind. Th e proportion of animal-pollinated species rises from a mean of 78% in temperate-zone communities to 94% in tropical communities. By correcting for the latitudinal diversity trend in fl owering plants, we estimate the global number and proportion of animal pollinated angiosperms as 308 006, which is 87.5% of the estimated species-level diversity of fl owering plants. Given current concerns about the decline in pollinators and the possible resulting impacts on both natural communities and agricultural crops, such estimates are vital to both ecologists and policy makers. Further research is required to assess in detail the absolute dependency of these plants on their pollinators, and how this varies with latitude and community type, but there is no doubt that plant – pollinator interactions play a signifi cant role in maintaining the functional integrity of most terrestrial ecosystems. Plant – pollinator relationships may be one of the most ecologically important classes of animal – plant interaction: without pollinators, many plants could not set seed and reproduce; and without plants to provide pollen, nectar and other rewards, many animal populations would decline, with consequent knock-on eff ects for other species (Kearns et al.

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2,448 citations

"Threats to an ecosystem service: pr..." refers background in this paper

...These consequences would be particularly severe in the tropics, where much of the Earth’s biodiversity resides and where dependence on animal pollination is highest (Ollerton et al. 2011)....
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...These consequences would be particularly severe in the tropics, where much of the Earth’s biodiversity resides and where dependence on animal pollination is highest (Ollerton et al. 2011)....
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...Estimates of flowering plant dependence on animal pollination vary between 78% and 94% in temperate and tropical ecosystems, respectively (Ollerton et al. 2011)....
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...Insect pollination of wild plants (Ollerton et al. 2011) is also a critical life-support mechanism underpinning biodiversity and ecosystem services....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted with pollinator decline

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Nicola Gallai¹, Jean-Michel Salles, Josef Settele², Bernard E. Vaissière•Institutions (2)

École Normale Supérieure¹, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ²

15 Jan 2009-Ecological Economics

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assessed the economic consequences of pollinator decline by measuring the contribution of insect pollination to the world agricultural output economic value, and the vulnerability of world agriculture in the face of the decline of pollinators.

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2,270 citations