Dr James Rodger, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) and lead author, says, this is the first study to provide a global estimate of the importance of pollinators for plants in natural ecosystems.
Dr James Rodger, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) and lead author, says, this is the first study to provide a global estimate of the importance of pollinators for plants in natural ecosystems.
The study, involving 21 scientists affiliated with 23 institutions from five continents, was led by Dr James Rodger and Prof Allan Ellis from Stellenbosch University (SU). It is a product of the Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences (sDiv) in the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv).
Prof Tiffany Knight, senior co-author, says, recent global assessments of pollination have highlighted a knowledge gap in our understanding of how tremendously plants rely on animal pollinators: “Our synthetic research addresses this gap, and enables us to link trends in pollinator biodiversity and abundance to consequences for plants at a global level.” Knight heads the Spatial Interaction Ecology research group at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and iDiv.
While most plants are animal-pollinated, most of them also have a bit of auto-fertility. This means they can make at least some seeds without pollinators, for example by self-fertilisation. However, until this study, the question, “How important are pollinators for wild plants?” did not have a clear answer at the global level.
Read more at: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
Most flowering plant species rely on pollinators to reproduce. This is true for the annual daisy species that dominate the spring mass flowering displays in South Africa. Species such as Gorteria diffusa, Dimorphotheca sinuata and Dimorphothecapluvialis are dependent on pollinators, such as the bee-flies pictured here, for seed production, and on seed for persistence in the system, making them vulnerable to pollinator decline. (Photo Credit: Prof Alan Ellis/Stellenbosch University)
