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Loss of pollinator diversity consistently reduces reproductive success for wild and cultivated plants.

Authors :
Artamendi M
Martin PA
Bartomeus I
Magrach A
Source :
Nature ecology & evolution [Nat Ecol Evol] 2024 Dec 11. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 11.
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Ahead of Print

Abstract

Pollination is a crucial ecosystem service, yet pollinator species diversity is declining as a result of factors such as climate change, habitat loss and agricultural intensification. While previous studies have often examined the extreme scenario of complete pollinator removal, showing negative impacts on plant reproductive success, we take a more realistic approach by focusing on the effects of decreasing pollinator diversity. Our global meta-analysis reveals a notable negative impact of reduced pollinator species diversity on plant reproductive success measures, such as seed set, fruit set and fruit weight. Notably, this effect varies across plant families, impacting both self-incompatible and self-compatible species. We also find that wild plant species suffer more than cultivated ones. Furthermore, the loss of invertebrate, nocturnal and wild pollinators has a more substantial impact than the loss of vertebrate, diurnal or managed pollinators. Overall, our findings consistently underscore the positive role of biodiversity in maintaining ecosystem functioning, highlighting the urgency of mitigating factors that lead to the decline in pollinator species diversity.<br />Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.<br /> (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2397-334X
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Nature ecology & evolution
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
39663417
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02595-2