01.12.2016 | Research

Pollinators in distress

A narrow beard (Lasioglossum sp.) on the flower of the common field salad (Valerianella locusta). More than 20,000 species of bees are known worldwide. They pollute more than 90 percent of the 107 most important crops. Photo: Felix Fornoff, University of Freiburg

Note for the media: Use of the pictures provided by iDiv is permitted for reports related to this media release only, and under the condition that credit is given to the picture originator.

Globally, a huge number of insects and other animals is carrying pollen from one plant to another, thus pollinating the flowers. Pollinators are not only economically important because they essential for wide parts of agriculture. Many wild plants also dependent on this services to reproduce. However, the pollinators nowadays face many problems that can lead to a decline in their stocks. An international research team is now warning about the ecological, economic and social consequences of this development in the journal "nature". One of the authors is iDiv member Prof Josef Settele from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Read more in the press release of UFZ in German: http://www.ufz.de/index.php?de=36336&webc_pm=47/2016Publication:
Simon G. Potts, Vera Imperatriz-Fonseca, Hien T. Ngo, Marcelo A. Aizen, Jacobus C. Biesmeijer, Thomas D. Breeze, Lynn V. Dicks, Lucas A. Garibaldi, Rosemary Hill, Josef Settele, Adam J. Vanbergen (2016): Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being, Nature, Advance Online Publication vom 28.11.2016. DOI: 10.1038/nature20588
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature20588.html

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