Threats to an ecosystem service: pressures on pollinators
Vanbergen, Adam J. and the Insect Pollinators Initiative 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8320-5535.
2013
Threats to an ecosystem service: pressures on pollinators.
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 11 (5).
251-259.
https://doi.org/10.1890/120126
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Abstract/Summary
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.
| Item Type: | Publication - Article |
|---|---|
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | https://doi.org/10.1890/120126 |
| Programmes: | CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Biodiversity > BD Topic 2 - Ecological Processes in the Environment > BD - 2.2 - Quantify the impact of invasive species, pathogens ... CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Biodiversity > BD Topic 2 - Ecological Processes in the Environment > BD - 2.4 - Estimate the impact of the main drivers and pressures on biodiversity ... CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Biodiversity > BD Topic 3 - Managing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Environment > BD - 3.2 - Develop and test practical measures to ameliorate the effects ... CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Biodiversity |
| UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas: | Watt |
| ISSN: | 1540-9295 |
| NORA Subject Terms: | Ecology and Environment Health Agriculture and Soil Science Zoology Biology and Microbiology |
| Date made live: | 23 Apr 2013 14:44 +0 (UTC) |
| URI: | https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/501453 |
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