User:MulberryBrie/Pollinator

Background add-to

Although non-bee pollinators have been seen to be less effective at depositing pollen than bee pollinators one study showed that non-bees made more visits than bees resulting in non-bees performing 38% of visits to crop flowers, outweighing the ineffectiveness of their ability to pollinate.

Floral and non-floral resources

Most native bees in North America are solitary, ground-nesting species that collect a variety of natural resources including pollen, nectar, leaves, petals and resins to be used as sources of food, supplies for their larva, or nest linings. Floral diet diversity has been seen to increase immunocompetence levels in honeybees (Apis mellifera) where diets that consisted of a wide variety of flowering species induced higher glucose oxidase activity, which honeybees' produce to sterilize their colony. More than 30% of global bee species depend on non-floral resources for nest building, protection, health, pest resistance, and alternative food sources. Non-floral resources include leaves, soil, plant resins and secretions, and are often provided by woody-vegetation.

Pollinator population declines and conservation (BOLD IS WHAT I ADDED)

Main article: Pollinator decline

Pollinators provide a key ecosystem service vital to the maintenance of both wild and agricultural plant communities. In 1999 the Convention on Biological Diversity issued the São Paulo Declaration on Pollinators, recognizing the critical role that these species play in supporting and maintaining terrestrial productivity as well as the survival challenges they face due to anthropogenic change. Today pollinators are considered to be in a state of decline; some species, such as Franklin's bumble bee (Bombus franklini) have been red-listed and are in danger of extinction. Although managed bee hives are increasing worldwide, these can not compensate for the loss of wild pollinators in many locations.

A 2017 report done for the Center of Biological Diversity utilized data documented in the United States on native bee species and found that nearly 1 in 4 (347 species of 1,437 species) is imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction. More than half of the native bee species is in decline and 40% of global insect pollinators (primarily native bees) are highly threatened.

Declines in the health and population of pollinators pose what could be a significant threat to the integrity of biodiversity, to global food webs, and to human health. At least 80% of our world's crop species require pollination to set seed. A 2021 study estimated that without pollinators, fertility would be reduced by 80% in half all wild plant species and one-third of all wild plant species would fail to produce any seeds at all. An estimated one out of every three bites of food comes to us through the work of animal pollinators. The quality of pollinator service has declined over time and this had led to concerns that pollination will be less resistant to extinction in the future.

A 2022 study concludes that the decline of pollinator populations is responsible for 500,000 early human deaths per year by reducing the supply of healthy foods. A decline of pollinators has caused 3-5% loss of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Lower consumption of these healthy foods translates to 1% of all deaths, according to the authors.

Pesticide usage

Neonicotinoids (Neonics) are a class of synthetic insecticides that are the most widely applied pesticides today due to its water solubility and ability to treat a wide variety of pests. Neonics are highly environmentally persistent, and may contaminate terrestrial and aquatic habitats for as much as six years. Exposed honeybees' (Apis mellifera) have been seen to have lower reproductive output, reduction in nest building or failed to build nests, reduced foraging abilities, and weakened immunity. Less is known about the effects on other pollinators.

Strategy

Researchers are still trying to determine how to scientifically best restore and maintain the diverse pollinator habitats found around the world. Many studies conclude that restoration and conservation are key to maintaining biodiversity and pollinator populations. According to the Kansas National Park Service, native tallgrass prairie was widespread through North America and home to over 300 species of flowering plants. This habitat is crucial to wild pollinators and now only covers 4% of its original 170-million acre range. By restoring wild pollinators natural habitat and maintaining Earth's biodiversity, populations are assumed to increase.

North America

The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) aims to promote pollinator health across the North America and has organized annual conferences since 1997, creates task forces to implement specific objectives that includes public education and policy research, and is developing strategic plans for conservation that looks to establish partnership between government entities. 11 pollinator-protection agreements have been signed between NAPCC and federal government agencies, responsible for more than 1.5 billion acres of land protections and management.

Europe

Along with the European Green Deal, which contains initiatives that support pollinator populations, the European Union has implemented the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 which includes the EU Pollinators Initiative that sets long-term objectives to reverse pollinator decline in diversity and numbers by 2030. This initiative includes: (1) improving knowledge of pollinator decline, its causes and consequences; (2) tackling the causes of pollinator decline; and (3) raising awareness, engaging society-at-large and promoting collaboration.

South America

The Healthy Hives Latin America 2020 (Salud Apícola 2020 Latinoamérica) program is a collaboration between the Bayer Bee Care Center and the Fraunhofer Chile Research Foundation, that works alongside local researchers at universities and beekeepers’ associations. The program focuses on increasing the number of healthy worker bees and their colonies by monitoring honey bee health and the contributing factors. This includes educating beekeepers and research collaborations to jointly work on honey bee health. Founded in 2015 with a preliminary project in Chile, the program has expanded to Colombia, Argentina, and Costa Rica.

Global

The ‘Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators' (Promote Pollinators) was initiated in 2016 during the Convention on Biological Diversity's Conference of the Parties (CBD COP13) and is a growing alliance of countries and observers who support the notion that country-led politics can lead to policy measures and innovative action to protect pollinators'. Their supporters are growing steadily, in which 30 countries currently participate.

References

• Rodger, James G et al (2021). “Widespread vulnerability of flowering plant seed production to pollinator declines.” Science advances vol. 7,42: eabd3524. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abd3524
• Rader, R., Howlett, B.G., Cunningham, S.A., Westcott, D.A., Newstrom-Lloyd, L.E., Walker, M.K., Teulon, D.A.J. and Edwards, W. (2009). "Alternative pollinator taxa are equally efficient but not as effective as the honeybee in a mass flowering crop". Journal of Applied Ecology, 46: 1080-1087. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01700.x
• Rader, Romina et al (2016). “Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 113,1: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1517092112
• Requier, F., Leonhardt, S.D. (2020). "Beyond flowers: including non-floral resources in bee conservation schemes". J Insect Conserv 24, 5–16: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-019-00206-1
• Alaux Cédric, Ducloz François, Crauser Didier and Le Conte Yves (2010). “Diet effects on honeybee immunocompetence” Biol. Lett. 6562–565: http://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2009.0986
• Pollinator Partnership. North American Pollinator Protection Campaign. See www.pollinator.org/nappc
• Promote Pollinators. The Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators. See www.promotepollinators.org
• European Commission. EU Pollinators Initiative 2023. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/pollinators_en
• National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/tapr/index.htm
• Wood, T. J. & Goulson, D. The environmental risks of neonicotinoid pesticides: a review of the evidence post 2013. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 24, 17285–17325 (2017).
• Saluda Apicola https://en.saludapicola.com/
• Kopec, K & Burd, L.A. (2017). "Pollinators in Peril: A systematic status review of North American and Hawaiian native bees." Center for Biological Diversity. See: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/native_pollinators/pdfs/Pollinators_in_Peril.pdf