Scientists have discovered plants need pollinators. That’s not a surprise, but Maddi Artamendi and colleagues in Spain found that even plants capable of self-pollination benefit from diverse pollinator communities. Their analysis of 207 research studies across 46 countries aimed to find out what happens when pollinator diversity declines. Their results show how both wild plants and agricultural crops are affected.

Artamendi and colleagues found that a loss of pollinator diversity led to a fall in plant reproductive success by every measure. Fruit set, seed set, fruit weight, they all fell. Wild plants were particularly vulnerable. Artamendi and colleagues were surprised to find that even plants capable of self-pollination struggle when pollinator diversity declines. They argue that even self-compatible plants can benefit from outcrossing, and this reduces as pollinator diversity declines.

The findings are the result of an analysis of hundreds of previous studies that measured plant reproduction with different levels of pollinator diversity. They examined three key measures of plant success: how many fruits each plant produced, how many seeds were inside the fruits, and how heavy the fruits grew. By studying these patterns in many different locations – from farms to forests to deserts – they were able to discover how pollinator diversity shapes plant reproduction worldwide.

This is useful, as there is a tendency to focus on crop plants in Europe and North America. In particular there are studies of how a single pollinator species like honeybees affect agriculture. This analysis pooled the results that people were finding across the planet, and also drew in information about wild plants. The research shows that we need to look beyond the bees to maintain healthy plant populations.

Artamendi, M., Martin, P. A., Bartomeus, I. & Magrach, A. 2024. Loss of pollinator diversity consistently reduces reproductive success for wild and cultivated plants. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/nx4w
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