283 research outputs found
Pollinator shortage and global crop yield
No full textFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Cunningham, Saul A. CSIRO Entomology; Australia.Fil: Klein, Alexandra M. University of California; USA.Fil: Klein, Alexandra M. University of Goettingen; Alemania.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA); Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina.A pollinator decline caused by environmental degradation might be compromising the production of pollinator-dependent crops. In a recent article, we compared 45 year series (1961–2006) in yield, production, and cultivated area of pollinator-dependent and nondependent crop around the world. If pollinator shortage is occurring globally, we expected a lower annual growth rate in yield for pollinator-dependent than nondependent crops, but a higher growth in cultivated area to compensate the lower yield. We have found little evidence for the first “yield” prediction but strong evidence for the second “area” prediction. Here, we present an additional analysis to show that the first and second predictions are both supported for crops that vary in dependency levels from nondependent to moderate dependence (i.e. up to 65% average yield reduction without pollinators). However, those crops for which animal pollination is essential (i.e. 95% average yield reduction without pollinators) showed higher growth in yield and lower expansion in area than expected in a pollination shortage scenario. We propose that pollination management for highly pollinator-dependent crops, such us renting hives or hand pollination, might have compensated for pollinator limitation of yield
How much does agriculture depend on pollinators? Lessons from long-term trends in crop production
No full textFil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Cunningham, Saul A. CSIRO Entomology; Australia.Fil: Klein, Alexandra M. University of California; USA.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA); Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina.Fil: Klein, Alexandra M. University of Goettingen; Alemania.Abstract
Background and Aims
Productivity of many crops benefits from the presence of pollinating insects, so a decline in pollinator abundance should compromise global agricultural production. Motivated by the lack of accurate estimates of the size of this threat, we quantified the effect of total loss of pollinators on global agricultural production and crop production diversity. The change in pollinator dependency over 46 years was also evaluated, considering the developed and developing world separately.
Methods
Using the extensive FAO dataset, yearly data were compiled for 1961–2006 on production and cultivated area of 87 important crops, which we classified into five categories of pollinator dependency. Based on measures of the aggregate effect of differential pollinator dependence, the consequences of a complete loss of pollinators in terms of reductions in total agricultural production and diversity were calculated. An estimate was also made of the increase in total cultivated area that would be required to compensate for the decrease in production of every single crop in the absence of pollinators.
Key Results
The expected direct reduction in total agricultural production in the absence of animal pollination ranged from 3 to 8 %, with smaller impacts on agricultural production diversity. The percentage increase in cultivated area needed to compensate for these deficits was several times higher, particularly in the developing world, which comprises two-thirds of the land devoted to crop cultivation globally. Crops with lower yield growth tended to have undergone greater expansion in cultivated area. Agriculture has become more pollinator-dependent over time, and this trend is more pronounced in the developing than developed world.
Conclusions
We propose that pollination shortage will intensify demand for agricultural land, a trend that will be more pronounced in the developing world. This increasing pressure on supply of agricultural land could significantly contribute to global environmental change
A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production
No full textHuman land use threatens global biodiversity and compromises multiple ecosystem functions critical to food production. Whether crop yield–related ecosystem services can be maintained by a few dominant species or rely on high richness remains unclear. Using a global database from 89 studies (with 1475 locations), we partition the relative importance of species richness, abundance, and dominance for pollination; biological pest control; and final yields in the context of ongoing land-use change. Pollinator and enemy richness directly supported ecosystem services in addition to and independent of abundance and dominance. Up to 50% of the negative effects of landscape simplification on ecosystem services was due to richness losses of service-providing organisms, with negative consequences for crop yields. Maintaining the biodiversity of ecosystem service providers is therefore vital to sustain the flow of key agroecosystem benefits to society.EEA ConcordiaFil: Dainese, Matteo. Eurac Research. Institute for Alpine Environment; ItaliaFil: Dainese, Matteo. University of Würzburg. Biocenter. Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; AlemaniaFil: Martin, Emily A. University of Würzburg. Biocenter. Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; AlemaniaFil: Aizen, Marcelo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Aizen, Marcelo Adrian. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Albrecht, Matthias. Agroscope. Agroecology and Environment; SuizaFil: Bartomeus, Ignasi. CSIC. Estación Biológica de Doñana. Integrative Ecology; EspañaFil: Bommarco, Riccardo. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Department of Ecology; SueciaFil: Carvalheiro, Luisa G. Universidade Federal de Goias. Departamento de Ecologia; BrasilFil: Carvalheiro, Luisa G. Universidade de Lisboa. Faculdade de Ciencias. Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C); PortugalFil: Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca. Stanford University. Natural Capital Project; Estados UnidosFil: Gagic, Vesna. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO); AustraliaFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones de Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; ArgentinaFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cavigliasso, Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concordia; ArgentinaFil: Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf. University of Würzburg. Biocenter. Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; Alemani
Reproductive assurance weakens pollinator-mediated selection on flower size in an annual mixed-mating species
No full textBackground and Aims In animal-pollinated plants, direct and indirect selection for large and small flowers in predominantly outcrossing and selfing species, respectively, is a common consequence of pollen limitation (PL). However, many hermaphroditic species show a mixed-mating system known as delayed selfing, which provides reproductive assurance (RA) only when outcrossing is not realized. Although RA is expected to reduce pollinator-mediated selection towards larger flowers, the consequences of delayed selfing for selection on flower size in mixed-mating species remain overlooked. We investigated whether RA weakens selection on flower size in Tuberaria guttata, a mixed-mating annual herb. Methods We related pollinator visitation rates to flower size and measured seed production in emasculated, hand cross-pollinated and intact (control) flowers in three natural populations. For each population, we estimated variation in PL and RA across individuals differing in flower size and phenotypic selection on this trait. Key Results Pollinator visitation increased and RA decreased with flower size in all populations. Increasing RA diminished but did not fully alleviate PL, because of early-acting inbreeding depression. In the least-visited and most pollen-limited population, RA increased seed production by >200 %, intensely counteracting the strong pollinator-mediated selection for larger corollas. In the most-visited population, however, RA increased seed production by an average of only 9 %. This population exhibited the largest fraction of individuals that showed a decrease in seed production due to selfing and the weakest pollinator-mediated selection on flower size. Conclusions The results suggest that the balance between the extent of RA and outcrossing contributes to determine flower size in mixed-mating systems. Pollinator-mediated selection favours larger flowers by increasing outcrossed seeds, but the benefits of RA greatly lessen this effect, especially under severe conditions of pollen limitation. Our findings also indicate that a mixed-mating system can represent an ‘evolutionary trap’ under an adequate pollinator supply.Fil: López Teixido, Alberto. Universidad Rey Juan Carlos; EspañaFil: Aizen, Marcelo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin
Incremental contribution of pollination and other ecosystem services to agricultural productivity: effects of service quantity and quality
No full textThis chapter presents the potential impact of agricultural pesticides on bees, which are beneficial insects that are important pollinators of both crops and wild plants. It describes the ecology of bees in intensively cultivated landscapes and the routes by which they are exposed to agrochemical toxicants. Neurotoxicants act by disrupting the otherwise coordinated activity of the insect nervous system. The chapter addresses the responses of regulatory authorities to meeting the challenge of deciding whether to allow a toxicant to be marketed as a plant protection product (PPP). It considers non-insecticides only insofar as they directly exacerbate the toxicity of insecticides by the so-called cocktail effect' and not for their indirectly detrimental effects on the environment of bees, such as reducing the abundance of wild flowers. In bees, the most sensitive endpoint that has been measured to date is the fecundity of bumble bees, as affected by a dietary neonicotinoid, imidacloprid.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro; ArgentinaFil: Aizen, Marcelo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Cunningham, Saul A.. Australian National University; AustraliaFil: Harder, Lawrence. University of Calgary; CanadáFil: Klein, Alexandra M.. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; Alemani
Incremental contribution of pollination and other ecosystem services to agricultural productivity: effects of service quantity and quality
No full textFil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. Río Negro, Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural. Río Negro, Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Río Negro, Argentina.Fil: Cunningham, Saul A. Australian National University. Australia.Fil: Harder, Lawrence. University of Calgary. Canada.Fil: Klein, Alexandra M. University of Freiburg. Alemania.
Expansión de la soja y diversidad de la agricultura argentina
No full textFil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Dondo, Mariana. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. INIBIOMA- CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina.Fil: Dondo, Mariana. INIBIOMA- CONICET; ArgentinaSe ha propuesto que el incremento en el cultivo de soja (Glycine max) que ha ocurrido en la Argentina durante las últimas dos décadas está asociado a un empobrecimiento de la diversidad de la agricultura. En este trabajo evaluamos esta hipótesis a través de estimar los cambios en la superficie cultivada, en la identidad y magnitud de la dominancia en términos de la proporción del área sembrada con el cultivo principal, y en la diversidad de cultivos a lo largo del período 1961-2006. La superficie total cultivada de nuestro país se ha incrementado aproximadamente 45% desde 1990 hasta 2006, en coincidencia con la gran expansión del cultivo de soja, que ha reemplazado al trigo (Triticum spp.) como cultivo dominante. En 2006, la soja representó alrededor de 50% de la superficie cultivada en la Argentina. Ningún otro cultivo alcanzó en las últimas cinco décadas semejante dominancia. Distintos estimadores indican que, asociado a este incremento de la dominancia de la soja, la diversidad de cultivos del campo argentino ha decrecido >20% durante el período 1990-2006. Además de la expansión de la frontera agrícola y de la pérdida de biodiversidad por destrucción de ecosistemas naturales, nuestros resultados ponen en evidencia una tendencia hacia la homogeneización del paisaje agrícola. De continuarse un aumento en la dominancia del cultivo de soja es probable que se profundicen los múltiples costos ambientales, sociales y económicos asociados a una menor diversidad de cultivos en nuestro país
Expansión de la soja y diversidad de la agricultura argentina
No full textFil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Dondo, Mariana. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Laboratorio Ecotono; Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. INIBIOMA- CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Facultad de Agronomía; Argentina.Fil: Dondo, Mariana. INIBIOMA- CONICET; ArgentinatrueSe ha propuesto que el incremento en el cultivo de soja (Glycine max) que ha ocurrido en la Argentina durante las últimas dos décadas está asociado a un empobrecimiento de la diversidad de la agricultura. En este trabajo evaluamos esta hipótesis a través de estimar los cambios en la superficie cultivada, en la identidad y magnitud de la dominancia en términos de la proporción del área sembrada con el cultivo principal, y en la diversidad de cultivos a lo largo del período 1961-2006. La superficie total cultivada de nuestro país se ha incrementado aproximadamente 45% desde 1990 hasta 2006, en coincidencia con la gran expansión del cultivo de soja, que ha reemplazado al trigo (Triticum spp.) como cultivo dominante. En 2006, la soja representó alrededor de 50% de la superficie cultivada en la Argentina. Ningún otro cultivo alcanzó en las últimas cinco décadas semejante dominancia. Distintos estimadores indican que, asociado a este incremento de la dominancia de la soja, la diversidad de cultivos del campo argentino ha decrecido >20% durante el período 1990-2006. Además de la expansión de la frontera agrícola y de la pérdida de biodiversidad por destrucción de ecosistemas naturales, nuestros resultados ponen en evidencia una tendencia hacia la homogeneización del paisaje agrícola. De continuarse un aumento en la dominancia del cultivo de soja es probable que se profundicen los múltiples costos ambientales, sociales y económicos asociados a una menor diversidad de cultivos en nuestro país
Intercropping functionally similar species reduces yield losses due to herbivory. A meta-analytical approach
No full textAgroecosystem diversification is often implemented to diminish herbivory and reduce yield losses. However, increasing plant richness does not always reduce herbivory levels, so there is a need for better understanding which polyculture characteristics are effective in deterring herbivores. Here, we evaluated the hypothesis that functional and phylogenetic distances between intercropped species reduce herbivory pressure and enhance natural enemy response. Diminishing herbivory would be brought about by the complementarity and synergy of traits that deter herbivores and benefit herbivore natural enemies, and as a result of a decrease in the availability of host plants for specialized herbivores. Using a meta-analytical approach, we observed lower herbivore
abundance and herbivory damage in focal plants when they grew in polycultures. In addition, polycultures showed increased levels of herbivore parasitism and greater abundance of predators and parasitoids, although the effect of the latter two was negligible. Interestingly, the functional distance between crops affected herbivore abundance and herbivory damage in opposite ways, but had no effect on herbivore natural enemy response.
Contrary to our expectations, neither herbivory pressure nor natural enemy response appeared to be influenced
by phylogenetic distance between intercropped species. Overall, our study provides valuable insights for agro-ecosystem design aimed at reducing yield loss by strategically intercropping functionally similar species.Fil: Fernandez, Anahí R. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; Argentina.Fil: Fernandez, Anahí R. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Gleiser, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; Argentina.Fil: Gleiser, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina.Fil: Aizen, Marcelo A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural; Argentina.Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Long-Term Global Trends in Crop Yield and Production Reveal No Current Pollination Shortage but Increasing Pollinator Dependency
No full textSummaryThere is evidence that pollinators are declining as a result of local and global environmental degradation [1–4]. Because a sizable proportion of the human diet depends directly or indirectly on animal pollination [5], the issue of how decreases in pollinator stocks could affect global crop production is of paramount importance [6–8]. Using the extensive FAO data set [9], we compared 45 year series (1961–2006) in yield, and total production and cultivated area of pollinator-dependent and nondependent crops [5]. We investigated temporal trends separately for the developed and developing world because differences in agricultural intensification, and socioeconomic and environmental conditions might affect yield and pollinators [10–13]. Since 1961, crop yield (Mt/ha) has increased consistently at average annual growth rates of ∼1.5%. Temporal trends were similar between pollinator-dependent and nondependent crops in both the developed and developing world, thus not supporting the view that pollinator shortages are affecting crop yield at the global scale. We further report, however, that agriculture has become more pollinator dependent because of a disproportionate increase in the area cultivated with pollinator-dependent crops. If the trend toward favoring cultivation of pollinator-dependent crops continues, the need for the service provided by declining pollinators will greatly increase in the near future
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